


Mischief on Earth

by lostsyntax



Category: Loki: Agent of Asgard, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Contracts, Danger, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Magic, Wish Fulfillment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 58,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24531961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostsyntax/pseuds/lostsyntax
Summary: "Who's that?""Uh. That would be, ahem, Tom Hiddleston.""And he plays - me?""Well - yes. I suppose so."|*|Meet Loki Laufeyson. Son of Odin, God of Mischief, Master of Trickery. Also powerless and banished, exiled by his father Odin to Midgard, to teach him a lesson just like how he taught Thor.Meet Kyra Pierce. Struggling journalist, unlucky in love. Also the first person Loki meets on Earth, and to which he is bounded to for a one month, because Loki needs to grant her any three wishes, to appease Odin and convince him he has changed, so he can return home.Loki might have been able to handle war, conflict and death, but can he handle the crazy hubbub of one girl's quirky and messed up social life?
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 51
Kudos: 91





	1. Book Cover!

_yohoho, a pirate's life for me ~_

__

_stan potc, y'all_


	2. Of Disendowment & Dwarves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa bear throws a fit.

" **LOKI.** Do you confess to your crimes? Are you aware of your wrongdoings, and willing to do penance?"

Sitting on the royal throne, King Odin of Asgard looked down at his son. His face was lined with years of burden borne, of wars fought and trials suffered. As usual it betrayed no emotion; here was yet another criminal kneeling before him in chains, and all that remained was to pass judgement.

No one could see the lump of regret that caught in his throat and the heaviness that squatted on his chest.

On the grand hall's marble floors, Loki looked up. His face was sallow and pale from the one week spent in the dungeons. His long black hair hung limp and straggly over his face, covering one of his eyes. His golden armor and long flowing cape had been removed, along with the helmet on his head.

His scepter with its shimmering blue gemstone had also been taken away. Now all he had left was the clothes he wore on him - a black tight-fitting garment, long trousers and a greenish-black leather cloak with shoulder pads.

Despite his disheveled appearance, the hint of a smile played on his lips. Ignoring the question, he tilted his head back and inhaled deeply.

There was a sharp and loud crack as the base of a metal spear was thumped down against the ground. Herrick Geir, head of the Einherjar - elite warriors who guarded the Asgardian palace - demanded fiercely,

"Do you not hear the King's question? Answer His Majesty, you criminal!"

Loki held up a hand, his nose still breathing in the air.

"Patience. I haven't breathed this crisp, fresh air for seven days. _Seven._ It's terrible I tell you. The dungeon air is _really bad_ for one's complexion." He looked back down to the throne, his smile sly. "No wonder you look like a mummified Asgardian dwarf all the time, Herrick."

Leaning in close, he hushed his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"I used to think you were the product of a one night stand your father had with a female dwarf because he was too drunk to think clearly." He laughed. "The ideas my head dreams up! Well now I know." He shook his head, clucking his tongue in sympathy. "That accursed dungeon air ... "

Herrick's eyes blazed at the insult. He drew himself up straight, his voice furious.

"My father is an honorable man who has never engaged himself in such immoral acts! I demand you apologize immediately!"

"For what?" Loki shrugged. "For letting my imagination run away from me while I was sitting bored in the dungeon, or for stating the truth about your less than pleasant appearance?"

Herrick's anger boiled over and he took a threatening step down from the dais.

"You - "

Odin's raised hand stopped him.

"Peace, Herrick. Loki is but a dog barking at his chains. He is mere noise. He can do you no harm."

"Noise _can_ do you harm," Loki popped in. "How else do people lose their hearing later in life?"

"My liege," said Herrick, bowing his head at Odin. "It is clear that this criminal will never repent. He is evil and _will stay evil_ for the rest of his life. Asgard has no need for such scum. Let the executioner's ax take care of him."

At the mention of the word "ax", Loki strained forward against his chains.

"Wait!" It was a desperate cry. "I confess!"

The King of Asgard and his loyal retainer turned to face the prisoner. Herrick looked disgruntled. Asgardian law provided leniency for criminals willing to repent. It seemed that he would not be getting the pleasure of seeing Loki's head fall beneath the blade.

Odin leaned forward. "Are you admitting to your sins? Are you willing to repent?"

Loki dipped his head low and nodded a few times in quick succession.

"Yes," His voice was a mournful, regretful sigh. "Yes, I confess."

He looked up, an expression of deep sorrow. "Father ... " he began.

Odin waited.

Loki took a deep breath.

"I confess that it was me. I did it. Back when we were children it was _me_ who stole a bite out of Mother's pie, not Thor. You punished the wrong person that day. I'm willing to accept your punishment now. It's been years, but better late than never, right?"

Incensed beyond words, Herrick slammed his spear three times against the floor.

"Insolence!" he roared. "My liege, you see the crude behavior he displays! We should not waste anymore time with this cur!"

Loki nodded empathetically.

"For once the dwarf is right!" Herrick looked ready to tear Loki apart limb by limb. "If it's the ax for me then for mercy's sake do swing it! It's not that I don't love our little talks, it's just ... Herrick sounds too much like a dying banshee. It's grating my ears. I might be about to go deaf. And you say noise can't harm you?"

Odin looked down at his son. Even though Loki was subdued in chains, traces of careless arrogance lingered in his posture.

"My liege!" Herrick protested.

Odin did not respond. He kept his eyes on Loki.

"Do you really have no more sins that you are willing to admit to?" he asked.

Loki frowned in concentration.

"Well ... except for stealing the pie, and riding your horse without your permission - which I only did once - plus throwing an apple at Thor's head when I was eight ... no."

His green eyes met Odin's calm gray ones. His voice was unmoved and steady.

"I have committed no other crimes."

Odin watched his rebellious son for a moment. He sank back onto his throne, and his voice was clear and firm as he pronounced his judgement.

"Very well. Loki Laufeyson! You are found guilty of the following - treason against Asgard by abetting the Frost Giants in crime, attempting to steal the palace's power casket and murder of a dozen innocent mortal lives. By Asgardian law, the gravity of your crimes guarantees an immediate spot for your head on the executioner's block."

Herrick looked over at Loki, his gloating smirk wide and grinning.

Odin paused. "The Asgardian law also demands that judgement be fair to all under similar circumstances. Which is why you, Loki Laufeyson, will _not_ be executed as your punishment."

Herrick looked as if he'd discovered that indeed, he truly _was_ the illegitimate child of a dwarf.

"What? My liege!" he protested.

Loki arched an eyebrow.

"When Thor dragged Asgard back into war, I punished him by banishing him to Midgard, where he could learn some humility. You are both my sons, even though you might no longer see me as your father. Therefore, I will do the same to you."

Odin stood up, his regal robes skirting the marble floor.

"This is your last chance."

Loki cocked his head. "Can I pass? I'd much rather take the ax."

Odin thumped his staff. The scribe nearby poised his pen on paper at once.

"Hear me, Loki Laufeyson! The case has been discussed and the judgement decided. You will spend one month in exile on Midgard. You will be stripped of your powers, cut off from Asgard and sent down to Earth! You will not possess any of your abilities! You are now reduced to a human, like the mortals you so wrongfully despise!"

Odin gestured and a servant scurried forward.

Lying in a long silver case and resting on red velvet cloth, was the Chitauri Scepter.

Placing a hand over the gemstone, Odin muttered strange words in a guttural language. The stone pulsed, sudden and deep, before the blue light dimmed. Loki felt the energy within dissipate, until only a small quantity of it remained.

"As your crimes were greater than that of Thor's, your punishment will be more than just exile."

Odin lifted the scepter. "You and this scepter will be bounded to the first mortal you lay eyes upon in Midgard. Within a month, you must use the powers of the scepter to fulfill his or her three wishes. These wishes are to be used for good intentions only. They cannot be used to maim or harm or kill."

Odin pointed the scepter at Loki. "For the duration of your stay, you are not to harm any mortal. You are not allowed to attack any mortal" - here Odin hesitated for a second - "even in self-defense. You are at the complete mercy of the people you meet. Violation of any of these terms equates failure. If, within a month you have not seen the error of your ways, then you _shall_ be beheaded by the executioner's ax."

Odin threw the scepter, which Loki deftly caught. He ran a light finger over the gold metal and smiled.

He looked up at his father. "You do realize that this is the weapon I used to _kill_ mortals right?"

"I have taken away more than half of its energy. It is now only good to grant wishes."

"A destructive weapon reduced to a genie in a lamp," Loki mused. "How the mighty have fallen."

"Your punishment begins immediately, Loki Laufeyson! Bring him to Heimdall!"

Two armored guards hauled Loki roughly onto his feet. As they marched him away down the hall, Herrick approached Odin and hissed, "My liege, this is too lenient a punishment for a cold-blooded criminal like him. I fear we will live to regret this."

From down the hall Loki laughed. He had heard every single word.

Without looking back he raised his voice.

"Again the dwarf is right! You _will_ live to regret this!"

The God of Mischief's laughter echoed and bounced around the marble hall long after he had left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so here we are - another Loki fanfic to grace your screen. This entire work is prewritten (as usual) and will be updated twice a week (Mons and Sat, because apparently that's when y'all be busy reading). If I seem to have forgotten, feel free to spam the comment section / do your thang telling me to GET YO ASS UP RN-
> 
> aight peace out


	3. Of Calls & Crushes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A spinster fks up a phone call.

**VIOLET** fingernails tapped out an agitated, anxious rhythm on the surface of the wooden table.

Legs in black leggings criss-crossed alternatively and continuously under the table.

An expression of fierce determination glared out from behind midnight-blue rimmed glasses.

"Come on ... come on ... I can do this ... " Kyra Pierce muttered.

Dressed in a purple silk blouse, she had her brow furrowed in concentration, as if she was focused on doing an immensely difficult and intense task. A telephone receiver was pressed firmly against her left ear, and her fingers had knotted themselves anxiously in the telephone cord.

The steady two-beat dialing tone rang in her ears. She bit her lip. She twisted the telephone cord even more.

And finally -

_"Hello! This is LaLuna FM_ _! Who's on the line?"_

Kyra straightened up in her seat, her eyes wide and her voice raised in excitement.

"LaLuna FM? Oh my goodness I got _through_? Am I the _lucky fifth caller_?"

She'd been trying for the entire week, and today had been the last day for the contest. In fact, this cue to call was the last slot of the night. She hadn't harbored much hope of getting through, but now she had!

_"Indeed you are! Congratulations!"_

Ecstatic, Kyra jumped up, pushing her chair back violently, hopping and waving the telephone in the air, shrieking.

"I'm the lucky fifth caller! _Me_! The lucky fifth caller!"

On the other end of the line, the radio announcer was in the middle of saying,

_"What is your name - "_

Her words cut off abruptly and there was sudden silence.

Kyra frowned. "Hello? _Hello_?"

No response. The line had gone dead.

Kyra moved the telephone away from her ear and looked at it, a panicky feeling blossoming in her chest as she wandered what had gone wrong.

It took her about half a minute to see the disconnected telephone cord.

Her mouth fell open.

Immediately she recalled the action she had did just now - jumping up and _pushing her chair back,_ which had resulted in the wheels of the swivel chair catching the telephone wire, so instead of rolling over the wire it had dragged it along, resulting in the wire being jerked unceremoniously out of its main socket ...

She glared at the chair. Then the telephone wire. Finally she shot the telephone receiver a look.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW??" she screamed in frustration.

In the cubicle next to her there was a noise like stationery tumbling all over the table. Black rimmed glasses peered out hesitantly over the cubicle divider.

"Are - are you alright, Miss Pierce?"

"NO, I AM NOT!"

The young man ducked out of sight immediately. After a second he could be heard mumbling,

"O - okay. I - I'll just get back to work then."

Kyra was barely listening. She was tuning the mini radio that sat in the corner of her worktable.

_"- so we have a winner! Congratulations John McGeralds, you have won yourself 1000 dollars worth of shopping vouchers!"_

Kyra groaned. She slumped down in her seat.

"It should have been _me!_ I was the one who called through first!" She fired a venomous look at the radio. "And what would a guy do with so much Lisou shopping vouchers anyway?"

There was light mocking laughter from the cubicle opposite. A honey gold blonde smirked back at Kyra. She stood up, slow and languidly.

Sherria Carrell was wearing a hot pink top and a black pencil skirt. In her right hand was the Prada clutch she always took with her. She was an entire head taller than Kyra, but Kyra knew that was due to the five-inch metallic Miu Mius trodding the carpet.

"Probably to give his darling wife. You know, his soulmate, his partner?" She suddenly snapped her fingers and put on a face of mock sympathy. "But I forgot! _You wouldn't know would you?_ After all, you _are_ the only one among the five of us ... that isn't in a relationship."

The smirk grew wider.

"Even Eric has a girlfriend! And he's a nerd." Sherria tossed the bespectacled young man peeking out from his cubicle a dazzling smile. "A cute one though Eric, don't worry."

She looked back at Kyra again and sighed. "Tsk tsk. How sad. To not know love."

Kyra clenched her jaw. _Again with the loveless-spinster label_. Was being single a crime?

Of course Kyra knew this was more than just mockery. She had known Sherria since high school, though she baulked at the suggestion that _you must be great friends then!_

 _Sherlock and Watson are great friends. Hawkeye and Black Widow are great friends. Me and Sherria Carell? More like_ _Cady Heron and Regina George._

When they were in high school, Sherria had developed a crush on a boy named Kevin McAdams. She had been one of the popular girls, and naturally assumed that Kevin would be more than willing to date.

So when she had finally confessed - in public no less, since she wanted the whole school to know this boy was hers - she was left embarassed and mortified when Kevin said she wasn't her type. Stunned, she managed to ask him what was his type then? And he had pointed across the cafe, at a certain teenage girl with long, wavy russet hair and said that that was the girl he had liked for the past three months.

The next week Kevin McAdams and Kyra Pierce were officially dating.

Sherria had had many other guys since then, and Kyra had broken up with Kevin a long time ago, but the humiliating memory of that day remained. Sherria and Kyra were firm archenemies, and that, was that.

Sherria was shaking her head pityingly. "No wonder you can't get a man. You even fail at a simple phone call. How depressing."

Kyra felt like punching her in her rows of perfectly white teeth. Sherria flicked her blonde locks in a classic _I'm so fantabulous_ move and sat down. At that very moment, their boss walked in.

Richard Dean was a fortyish man with a booming beer belly and the taste buds of a connoisseur. He was also chief editor of _Tidbits_ _,_ a magazine that aimed to provide its readers with all the finer details of the latest news.

Now he clapped his hands loudly.

"Alright everyone! It's six pm already, so you know what this means ... " He looked around the room, his brown eyes twinkling good-naturedly.

With a hearty, theatrical holler he yelled,

" _Journalists assemble!"_

There were cheers and everyone got busy clearing up their desks. Within seconds they were gathered in front of their boss, purses and wallets in hand, beaming expectantly.

Richard eyed their prompt response with approval, then intoned solemnly.

"Today, we are off to save the sushi."

At a secluded area tucked away behind a massive behemoth of a building, something was happening.

A cat lazing about suddenly perked up two ears, its fur coat bristling all over. Without warning it took off like a shot.

A minute later, two blackbirds from a nearby tree did the same.

Slowly, the dry leaves on the grass stirred as a wind began to blow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't decide if Kyra is wild chaotic energy or cringey chaotic energy
> 
> This was written back when I was a teensy hs graduate so it might just be both


	4. Of Lies & Landings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit-  
> -take mushrooms

" **SO** tell me how exactly is _this_ ," said Harry Brooks, spearing the last sushi on his plate with a fork, "saving the sushi?"

"Ah," said Richard as Harry put the sushi in his mouth, "we're saving it from being consumed by people who do not know how to appreciate its wonderful and delicious flavours."

On the long bench next to Harry, Cecilia Pratchett giggled. Everyone had had at least two glasses of alcohol each, and were feeling much less sober than usual. Indeed, it seemed that the chief editor was the only one not looking tipsy. But then again Richard had to drive them back later.

"It's been a good day today. Our magazine sales did very well for our latest issue. It's all thanks to my amazing team!" Richard raised his glass in a toast. "Cheers!"

Glass clinked. "Cheers!"

Cecilia downed hers in one gulp and Harry hastily stopped her.

"Stop drinking so much! You know you get a terrible hangover."

She beamed. Setting down her glass she linked an arm around Harry's, before facing the rest of the table.

"There's another piece of good news today!" she announced. "Harry and I ... _are getting married!_ "

Commence loud whoops and claps on the back. Kyra grinned and cheered.

"Congratulations!"

"As your boss, I demand my right to be best man!" That was Richard.

Cecilia's short brown hair bobbed fervently as she nodded.

"The wedding's on July 16th.You're all invited!"

Sherria gave a drunken giggle and pointed her shotglass at Kyra.

"That gives you about three weeks to find a date! Oh Kyra, what are you going to _do_? You'll never find one, never - mmmphfff - "

Richard clamped a hand over Sherria's Christian Dior-rouged lips. He displayed a wide sheepish smile.

"Nothing. She said nothing. Ignore her nothingness. Shall we order more sushi?"

Scowling, Kyra downed her glass in one gulp. _Even when she's drunk, those words still fly out of her mouth._

Kyra slammed her empty glass down against the table, hard. Next to her Eric gave a little jump at the sudden noise and his _shiitake_ mushroom fell from his chopsticks.

"I too, have good news!" Kyra declared. She was feeling impulsive and not quite thinking straight. " _I have a boyfriend!_ "

At that, Sherria managed to wrench Richard's palm away from her mouth.

" _What?_ " Her voice was shrill.

The _shiitake_ mushroom that was on the verge of touching Eric's lips dropped for the second time. He sighed.

Kyra stared back defiantly.

"That's right. So you, Little Miss Regina George, can just stop mocking me, because I have a man and he is hotter than - than - " Her eyes landed on Sherria's diamond-encrusted phone cover. "Tom Hiddleston!"

Sherria rolled her eyes. She reached for her phone and unlocked it, revealing a Tom Hiddleston wallpaper.

"No one's hotter than Tom Hiddleston." She sighed dreamily.

Kyra met Sherria's eyes. Harry fancied he saw lightning flash between the two girls.

"Well my boyfriend is."

"He can't be."

"He _is_."

" _He's not_!"

" _He is!_ "

"Okay, okay! Ladies!" Ever the peace-keeper, Richard stepped in. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yes?"

He turned to Kyra and grinned. "So Mr Right did show up after all did he? I knew I was smelling love in the air!"

Sherria wasn't giving up so easily. She started firing questions.

"When did you meet him?"

Kyra eyed her coolly and her voice was steady.

"Two weeks ago at a friend's birthday party. We talked awhile and exchanged phone numbers. We officially started dating five days ago."

"What does he do?"

"He doesn't do anything." Kyra leaned in close, winked and whispered. "He's rich. He'll inherit his father's business."

There were loud _oohs_ from both Cecilia and Harry. Sherria frowned suspiciously.

"What business?"

Kyra tilted her head back and flung her hands out to the restaurant ceiling, nearly hitting Eric's nose.

"A glorious empire! A brilliant legacy!" she hollered.

A cautious part of her brain wondered if she was taking this too far, but just as quickly the rest of her mind squashed it down.

"What's his name? Do you have photos?"

 _Rats_.

Kyra disregarded the question and staggered up on unsteady legs.

"Hey! You haven't answer my question yet! Not running off are you?" Sherria narrowed her eyes. "Bet all those were lies, huh? I'm right, aren't I?"

Kyra placed a finger to her lips. "Ssssshhhh. You talk too much. I'm going to call my boyfriend. You wait."

She stumbled out of the restaurant.

The streets of San Diego were thronged with people, especially tonight. All of them were heading toward a large convention center only one block away. Drunk and somewhat dizzy, Kyra got swept up in the crowd. Pretty soon the building was visible ahead.

 _What on earth was I thinking? A boyfriend? A rich heir? Hotter than Tom Hiddleston?_ Kyra groaned.

 _No one is hotter_ _than Tom Hiddleston!_ _Me and my big mouth._

What was she going to do now? She couldn't produce such a person. And when Sherria finally expose her lie, the mocking she would get would definitely be way worse than now.

Just the thought of it made her feel sick. After a moment Kyra realized she _was_ going to be sick, and retched. People around her distanced themselves at once in disgust. She managed to break free of the crowd and dashed away and off the streets, into this small little park hidden behind the convention center.

She threw up in the drain. After half a minute or so she felt better and sank down onto the grass, legs crossed. The last thing she wanted to do right now was go back and face Sherria The Inquisitor. 

_I'm going to resign. I'll go to the mountains and meditate, and live the holy life of a nun, where I'll be CELEBRATED for being single._

She groaned, and kicked her legs like a child throwing a tantrum.

Looking up at the sky she yelled, "Give me a _man_!"

It must have been about ten seconds when she heard it.

A low rumbling, that gradually grew stronger and stronger. At the same time a harsh wind blew, causing dirt and leaves to stir up in a spiral funnel, just three feet away from her. Funnily enough, instead of covering the entire ground like how a storm might have been, it was concentrated only on one spot.

The wind howled in her ears and she had trouble standing, let alone seeing. Her glasses were assaulted by flying gravel and she held both hands up to her eyes protectively.

In the midst of it all she heard a loud thump, and a sudden gust of air.

Gradually, the mini freak storm died out.

Dulcet tones of black velvet spoke.

"Ah." A long, drawn-out sigh. " _Midgard_."

Curious and a little fearful, Kyra lowered her hands.

Standing in front of her, an enigmatic smile playing on his lips, was the Asgardian God of Mischief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update, had to walk my brother through Bandersnatch lmao


	5. Of Warmth & Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this will make for an embarrassing memory tomorrow ...

**LOKI** inhaled deeply, head tilted back. Midgard air was less cold and crisp than Asgard air. It veered more toward ... what was that word? _Ah yes_. _Warmth_. It was warm air that clung to your clothes and lingered in the seams.

He dropped his head down - and instantly laid eyes on a mortal girl.

"By Odin's eye!" he swore and immediately closed his own. _Blast, I wanted to at least find someone who had high status in Midgard ..._

With his eyes firmly shut, he raised his voice in an imperious command.

"Common mortal! I am Loki, God of Mischief! I hail from Asgard, and I demand a meeting with your leader! Bring me to him at once!"

Kyra stared. She was still half-dazed by alcohol and by what she had witnessed, along with the sight of this person in front of her and the fantastical implications it meant. Her addled mind scrambled to restore some sense and all she could blurt out was,

"What?"

Loki's voice turned impatient and rose to a roar.

"Did I not speak clearly? Are you too awed by my presence that it has scrambled your puny little mind? I repeat, _bring me to your leader!_ "

Kyra stared back, bewildered. "You want to meet _Richard_?"

Loki tilted his head at an angle. _"Ree-cherd ..._ what ridiculous names you mortals wear. But pay me no heed. A powerful man is powerful regardless of his name, is it not?"

Kyra blinked. "I don't know if he's considered powerful ..."

Loki inhaled sharply.

"Such ignorance!" he scoffed. "How can one not know the power of one's king? Is his status not higher than yours? Do you not obey his commands?"

Kyra thought.

"Well yes, I suppose you _can_ put it in such terms ... "

"Does being in his favor not reap you rewards?" Loki persisted. "Does his judgement not decide your wellbeing?"

"Yes but - "

"Then that is good enough for me. Inform your leader that the king of another world is honoring him with a visit!"

A sudden ray of light pierced through the night sky above and once again the wind howled. Another presence had entered the fray. There was no one else around Kyra, at least not physically, but she could feel the newcomer hovering at the fringes of her mind.

Sure enough another voice spoke.

" _Loki. Again you are treating the mortals with your usual derision. When will you see that they are equal to us in many other ways? We are not invincible, like the mortals we too will one day meet our Maker. Like mortals you too will fade into death."_

The mocking voice of the man who looked like Loki but couldn't possibly be Loki because - _Jesus_ , _Loki -_ spoke.

_"But of course. Give or take five thousand years."_

There was something weird about the way they were speaking, and it wasn't just the formal old language style. It took a moment before Kyra could pinpoint it.

She wasn't getting these words from her ears. She wasn't hearing them, not in the usual sense. She was hearing them in her head.

 _Whoa, is this telepathy?_ she thought. _Because that would be so frigging cool._

Sudden silence on both ends. Loki opened his eyes and stared at her.

 _Rats_ , _can they hear what I'm thinking?_

 _No. We can't,_ came Loki's voice.

Kyra breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank goodness -_ she gaped as the realization set in.

She looked at Loki, who merely dipped his head slightly and gave a smug smile.

The third voice spoke. _"Mortal. I am Odin, King of Asgard. The man you see before you is my son, Loki -"_

 _"Stepson, I believe,"_ cut in Loki. _"Let us not lie. After all, she is my new ... master."_ The last word rang with intense displeasure.

Odin ignored him and continued. " _Loki is to serve a one month sentence here in Midgard - Earth - to repent for his sins. You have nothing to fear, his powers have been stripped entirely and he is but a mere human now. As you are the first mortal he has met, he is now under your command. He can fulfill any of your three wishes, as long as they are good in nature. Think of him as your very own genie, so to speak."_

Kyra's drunken state didn't allow her to comprehend much, but she definitely got the main points - strange man, Asgardian God, wish granter. _Okey dokey!_

 _"He might be serving you, but do treat him well."_ The voice and light began to fade. " _He is after all, my son._ "

The presence disappeared. Loki kept his face upturned for a moment, before turning back to the mortal girl in front of him.

Who had an utter idiotic smile plastered on her face.

"A genie! And three wishes!" She giggled in delight. "Oh my goodness, where should I _start?_ Should I wish for a million dollars? No wait - _two million._ Haha! _Or maybe not having to work for the rest of my life!_ Oh gosh, there are just so much possibilities!"

Loki observed her swaying figure and frowned.

"Are you drunk, mortal?" he asked in disgust. He'd never been drunk himself, but he'd definitely seen the things it did to Thor.

Kyra shushed him. She reached out a hand and beckoned him to come near.

"Come come! It's not like I'll bite!" She giggled again and put on the sternest voice she could muster, which in her condition, was not stern at all. "Your master orders you to come, slave!"

Loki bristled visibly at that, and his green eyes flashed. For a moment it looked as if he would direct the sceptre towards her like how he would have done if it had any power.

Instead he walked near her stiffly.

"My name is Loki Laufeyson .... _master._ " The last word was grounded out between clenched teeth.

Kyra grinned. "Kidding! Only kidding. You don't have to call me master. Nope. Nawp. Nope-dy doody doo."

Kyra stuck out a hand. "Nice to meet you Loki! You can call me Kyra. And don't worry, I won't bully you. Nope. Not that mean." A pause. "Well maybe a little?"

Another fit of giggles. Loki stared at her with barely concealed contempt and disdain.

"It seems Midgard mortals are much more crude than I anticipated," he remarked drily.

A short burst of music. Kyra dug around in the pocket of her leggings.

"Hold on, it's here somewhere ... " She dug out her smartphone. "Ah! There we are!"

Loki's head cocked slightly as he regarded the sleek flat gadget. Kyra swiped at the screen and placed it against her ear.

"Hulllooo ... oh Richard!" Loki's ears perked up. "Ahhh I'm at this small park behind the convention center. Dangerous? Nah!"

She draped an arm around Loki's shoulders. "I have a god with me!" She grinned foolishly.

Loki leaned his head backwards as far as possible from hers. _How_ _despicably rude and_ _disgusting_. He wanted to flick the hand away, but that might offend this mortal, who seemed to be on rather familiar terms with this King Richard.

Kyra nodded vigorously. "Okies! I'll wait for you guys here then!"

She hung up. Loki eyed her and put on his most casual tone.

"Is your leader coming?"

Another round of enthusiastic nodding. "Mm-hmm! Long live Richard!"

Loki watched her. "You are a patriot," he mused. "You do not look like one."

Kyra frowned. "Are you insulting me? Bad dog - I mean, god!"

Loki's lips twitched. "You are amusing too. And I am not easily amused."

"I can see that." Kyra placed two fingers at the edge of his lips. Loki was so startled at her audacity - _how dare a mortal touch a god! -_ that he forgot to move.

"You need to smile morrreeee ... morrrree..." Kyra pushed the corners up. "Ssmmmmiilllleeeeee..."

There was a sudden glare of headlights. Both god and mortal turned to see the green van pulling up at the kerb.

"Oh! It's them!" Kyra jumped up and started waving. "Here! Here! _Over here!"_

She tapped Loki's shoulders. "Come on you do it too. Jump! And wave!"

Loki scoffed and looked away. Seeing how he wasn't complying, Kyra grabbed his arm and waved it madly.

"Here! _Hhheerrrrreee..._ "

Loki watched her hop as if her life depended on it. Again his lips twitched.

Someone standing near the green van spotted Kyra's frantic signaling and gestured to the rest. Pretty soon the five _Tidbits_ employees, led by a concerned Richard, was making their way across the grass toward them.

"Kyra! Heavens girl, where have you been - " Richard stopped when he saw the tall costumed man Kyra had her arm draped around.

"Oh. You are..." The furrowed eyebrows cleared as quick as they came. "...Kyra's boyfriend?"

 _"What? Where?"_ A shrill shriek. Loki saw a girl with hair as golden as Thor's marched out from the rear of the group.

She saw Loki. She gaped. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets.

Cecilia whispered to her fiance, "He _does_ look hotter than Tom Hiddleston."

" _You're Kyra's boyfriend?"_ the blonde demanded.

Before Loki could answer, Kyra spoke up loudly and proudly.

"That's right! He's my boyfriend!"

She threw both hands into the air and declared,

" _Loki Laufeyson, Asgardian God of Mischief, is my boyfriend!_ "

Sherria gaped. Richard arched an eyebrow. Harry and Cecilia cooed. Eric blinked.

And Kyra threw up all over Loki's Asgardian leather suit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember writing this on my salesperson job lmao


	6. Of Costumes & Commands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> obligatory drunk scene-

**TORCHES** flickered in metal holders set in the walls. The hallowed royal halls of the Asgard palace was empty for the night, with both King and Queen having retired to their bedchambers.

Two sentries stood watch at the main entrance. No one was to enter the royal halls at night.

Or so the rules went.

For a lone figure stood on the dais, fingers brushing the golden throne. Like all Einherjar, he was well-built and well-muscled, a result of intensive hours of training. It was a running joke among the Einherjar that a true man was one whose armor is too small to accommodate his muscles.

Herrick turned as a similar brutish warrior strode down the hall, his steel sword clinking against his armor.

"You called, Commander?"

Herrick frowned at the warrior's full weapons belt.

"Why do you bring in weapons of war?" he asked, not answering the question. "The royal halls of Asgard is the home of peace."

The warrior bowed his head low. "My apologies Commander. Your message was one of urgency so I simply hurried over ..."

Herrick nodded dismissively.

"No matter. There are far more pressing issues at hand." Herrick paced on the dais. "You have heard of the exile of the criminal Loki Laufeyson? What are your thoughts?"

The warrior - Esbern was his name - hesitated. The exile was a royal order, and the criminal a prince. It would be unwise to question the king's judgement. Yet it was clear his Commander was doing so.

"In my humble opinion," Esbern finally said, "the criminal committed heinous crimes that should have brought him straight to the executioner's axe. However the King has spoken and the punishment has been meted out - "

"Punishment? _One month in Midgard is no punishment! He is not deserving of such leniency_!"

Herrick's voice thundered in a sudden yell that echoed around the halls. Esbern remained wisely silent.

Herrick seethed, struggling to keep his emotions in check. After a long pause he turned to the crouching warrior.

"The King has given his punishment, but the people have not." His voice was dipped in ice.

"Commander?"

"Tell me Esbern. Does your family agree to such skewed judgment? Do your friends not protest? Do your neighbours not cry out in outrage?"

"... Many of them feel that the King's punishment was unjust, yes."

"And that is because it _is_ ," Herrick shot back. "Which is why we, the Einherjar, shall deliver _true_ justice."

Herrick looked down at Esbern. Grim determination colored his voice.

"Prepare a small army of men. I have a mission for you in Midgard."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A runaway ray of sunlight burrowed persistently underneath Kyra's eyelids. Her eyebrows knitted together and she turned. Yawning, she flipped her body over to the other side.

She could feel warmth radiating from somewhere near. It was a pleasant cozy feeling, and she snuggled up to its source happily.

_Mmm. Very warm. Nice._

Then - _wait. Is it moving?_

Her eyes flew open. She didn't have her glasses on, so her world was heavily pixelated and blurred. But she _could_ see that she was pressed up against something warm, that was rising and falling slowly underneath her fingers.

She looked up.

And her eyes widened into dinner plates.

She was staring up at the perfectly chiseled jawbone of a sleeping Loki.

Which meant this moving thing under her fingers - was Loki's _bare chest_.

Which meant she was sleeping with a half-naked man - _god_ \- in her bed!

She opened her mouth and screamed.

" _What the hell are you doing in my house? Why are you sleeping with me in my bed?"_ She kicked and slapped and punched viciously, her brain focused on only getting rid of the intruder. " _Get out you psycho! And why in Christ's sake are you half naked?"_

Rudely awakened, Loki swore. He regained his senses soon enough.

"Woman! Calm yourself!"

" _You are naked! In my bed!"_

Loki's sharp eyes assessed the situation. He let her attacks continue for a few moments before swiftly snapping out his hands, gripping both of her arms in vice-like grips, effectively halting the violence.

"Is this how all Midgard women are like?" Loki asked coldly. "They trick men to their beds then plead innocence and assault the next morn?"

Kyra gaped. _"What?"_

**_~ The previous night ~_ **

_"Loki Laufeyson,_ _Asgardian God of Mischief, is my boyfriend!"_

_Loki threw the girl a suspicious look. He had no idea what a "boyfriend" was, and the faces of these other mortals were a mixed bag of reactions. Two were beaming, one looked stunned and the other awkward. The golden-haired maiden wore an aghast expression._

_Boy. Friend. Two familiar words combined into one new entity. Perhaps it meant a male friend? Though he had always thought the word "friend" did not take into account gender._

_But then again he wouldn't know. His friends were little to none._

_It was at this point that_ _the girl threw up on him._ _Unfortunately this was something he knew all too well._

_Livid and disgusted, Loki recoiled. The girl had veered halfway into unconsciousness however, and her dead weight kept her slumped against him. He made to push her away, roughly, but then one of the watching mortals spoke._

_"Perhaps you should take her home. She looks like she needs some rest." The person who spoke seemed to be the eldest there, and Loki wondered if this was the all-powerful Richard. He certainly didn't look like much._

_"I'll call a taxi!" someone said and dashed off._

_The golden-haired maiden peered at Loki with aqua blue eyes that spoke of suspicion._

_"Are you really her boyfriend?"_

_Again with the foreign word. Loki did not understand, but that was what the drunk mortal had called him, so perhaps it was a Midgard term for master? In the end he simply said,_

_"I do as she wishes." The maiden gaped._

_Something yellow pulled up near by. Loki had seen this before. It was the mortals' form of transport. What was that word? Ah. "Car"._

_Someone opened the car door and looked at him expectantly. Loki managed to drag the mortal across the grass with minimal touch, all the while wrinkling his nose at both the overpowering stenches of alcohol and vomit._

_He dumped her unceremoniously into the yellow carriage-on-wheels before entering himself. He loathed the idea of sharing a space with a drunkard, but then again he was bounded._

_The girl managed to blurt out a comprehensible address, and the driver seemed to know where he was going, so Loki focused on breathing as little as possible and as far as possible._

_The driver up front looked at him through the rear-view mirror._

_"Ooh mister. Ya got puke all over ya fancy costume! That a rental?"_

_Loki had the vague impression he was asking a question, but since he didn't understand the words he ignored him. Besides it wasn't him that he was bounded to._

_The driver went on, oblivious._

_"Lots of people dressing up as Loki this time around eh? Real popular character ever since that Thor movie came out ain't it?"_

_Loki frowned. These were familiar words wrapped by unfamiliar terms._

_"What do you mean, mortal? I am the one and only Loki!"_

_The driver snorted. "Yeah sure. Take a look outta window buddy."_

_Loki looked._

_And he saw them, the dozen of Lokis parading the streets, the two Thors_ \- _one of_ _them was a female no less -_ c _hatting at the corner, and one Odin posing for a photo._

_Shocked, Loki was speechless for a moment._

_"Blasphemy! What impostors! They dare pretend to be Asgardians?" he roared. "This is sacrilege!"_

_The driver looked startled. An alarmed look came into his eyes as he wandered if he was dealing with a psycho. He decided to keep quiet for the remainder of the journey._

_The drunken answers of the mortal helped him find the way to her house. It was on the sixteenth floor of what the mortals called an "apartment". To Loki it was one tall, gigantic house with hundreds of rooms, shared among strangers._

_It annoyed_ _him how the mortal giggled so much. And the_ ** _singing_** _. He had never heard Midgard music before, but if this was what it was like then it was a wonder how Midgard mortals still kept their hearing._

_Keys from the mortal's bag unlocked the door. The apartment was moderately furnished. No palace luxuries here._

_Still, Loki thought, anything was better than a dungeon._

_He left the girl mumbling nonsense on the couch and went to attend to his garments. The leather cloak was unstained, thank Bor, but his tunic underneath was wretched._

_He peeled it over his head, gagging at the stink. Looking around, he saw a tall basket of clothes. He sniffed at it and made a face. So this was where soiled garments went. He tossed his tunic in._

_There was noise from the living area. The mortal was stumbling around and yelling something about a bed. More opening of doors soon showed him where the bed was._

_He guided her over to it, and she slumped down on the edge with a thump. The blue plastic squares she wore on the bridge of her nose was taken off and handed to Loki. Loki tilted his head._

_"Glassssesssss. On table. Pleassse." She pointed. Loki took the blue squares gingerly and placed them on the bedside table._

_He made to leave, but she lunged out and grabbed his arm._

_"Where do you think you're going? You're my boyfriend! My genie! You - stay!"_

_She gave a vicious tug and he lost balance, tripped over the foot of the bed and fell backwards onto the soft cotton sheets._

_The mortal fell backwards too, and landed beside him with a satisfying thump._

_"Mmmm," she murmured, and snuggled up close._

_Physical proximity with anyone was something Loki wasn't accustomed to. He tried to inch away, but the mortal felt every movement and clung to him like a stubborn limpet._

_"Don't move!" she commanded blearily. "That's an order from your master ..._

_Loki watched as her breathing gradually slowed and hushed. Her russet hair was soft against his skin, and a peaceful smile tinged her lips. A strand of hair fell across her eyes and without thought Loki reached to tuck it back behind her ear._

_Was it just her or were all Midgard mortals this - amusingly clumsy? It was like watching a young cub pouncing on a butterfly. It was entertaining._

_He hadn't thought he would get much rest, but in the end unconsciousness came easily. Sometime in the middle of the night he shifted in his sleep, and unknowingly his left hand came into contact with the mortal's, their fingers curling around the tentative touch._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> istg every time I reread this story I CRINGE
> 
> (in case you guys haven't noticed this was written when I was a wee lass)
> 
> Still. It was the first fanfic I ever wrote and it's got that sentimental spot in mah hart


	7. Of Actors & Agreements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> someone has a sweet tooth.

**KYRA'S** mouth fell open in horror as the memories of last night came flooding back. She cringed as Loki eyed her with an arched eyebrow.

_Yesterday wasn't some crazy dream? Oh gosh. I really did throw up all over him... and it was my fault he slept half-naked in my bed! But wait a minute. This also means -_

She eyed the man sitting opposite her. She'd expected a god to be more muscled and buff, but Loki wasn't. He was tall and lean and lithe, and muscular in a sinewy way. As she ran an eye over his bare chest she felt her pulse quickened.

 _Stop ogling you idiot._ She averted her eyes quickly.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I'll get your shirt dry-cleaned. And um, sorry for all the vomit. And trouble."

Loki shrugged. "I am accustomed to dealing with drunkards. It is the vomit that is - repulsive."

Kyra flushed. But his words made her curious.

"Accustomed to drunkards? You mean ... "

"My brother. Thor. There was a time when he would party for weeks. Needless to say he was also _drinking_ for weeks. I had to help him to his chambers every night. A bulky blonde warrior is of far more trouble than a mere mortal like you."

Kyra wasn't sure if she should be flattered or insulted.

His next words were in a business-like tone. "So. About your three wishes. What does your heart most desire?"

 _Desire._ "Well - um. Uh ... " Kyra's eyes flicked all over the place before she suddenly burst out, "Can you _please_ put some clothes on? It's - distracting!"

Loki's eyebrows flew sky-high and Kyra flushed.

"I - I mean it's not as if we're close or anything, and you're just wandering around half-naked ... and you - you don't even have anything worthy to show ... just put on a shirt!" she yelled before leaping off her bed and marching over to her wardrobe.

Loki watched her go and the corners of his lips seemed to lift just the slightest.

Kyra fumbled around for the biggest shirt she could find. It was a shirt that she had received from some motivational camp two months ago, and as everyone knows camps always get your clothes size wrong. Hers had been one size bigger.

Loki looked at it and frowned.

"Believe And Succeed. Love Life," he read out loud. "My my, aren't you an optimistic one."

Kyra ignored him and kept her face focused on a white work blouse.

"Just put it on," she said.

There was some rustling of fabric.

"Done."

She turned back around. The shirt looked rather tight on him, but he wore it well.

"I am anxious to get this over with. So name me your three wishes and let us be done."

Kyra stared. "I have one month don't I? One month to order you around?" Loki's lips curled at the word. "I don't need to answer now!

"I have so many things I want that I don't even know where to start!" Kyra started pacing. "I'll need to make a list. Weigh down the pros and cons. I'll have to decide on the best three! Then I'll tell you."

Kyra paused. "Until then - you're stuck with me. And you're bounded, so you'll have to do all I say." She smiled happily. "My very own servant!"

Loki pondered. Slowly he stood up. Locking his eyes on Kyra he approached her, his movements feline and soundless.

Kyra leaned backwards even as he neared.

"W-what?" she stuttered as their faces came to only inches apart.

"You _do_ know who I am?" he breathed. "The God of Mischief? The one responsible for the destruction of New Mexico? Are you sure you can keep a... _servant_ like me under your bidding?"

Kyra blinked. "But you're not a god _now._ You don't have powers anymore, you're just a human! And trust me, I'm an expert in dealing with humans."

She gave Loki a reassuring pat on the shoulder, a cheerful smile, and walked out of the room.

Loki's jaw clenched in resignation. _Blast_ _, this mortal is smart._ He looked over at the scepter that rested against a table. _How the mighty have fallen indeed._

"By the way," he called, "are Midgard mortals so desperate for status that they delude themselves by wearing Asgardian robes?"

"What?" was the reply from the living room. There was a sound of a machine being started up.

Loki walked out of the bedroom and found Kyra in the kitchen. She had just started up the washing machine, but had packed Loki's tunic in a bag for the cleaners.

As Kyra made coffee he told her about what he had witnessed yesterday.

"Ah that! Yesterday was the San Diego Comic-Con. People dress up as characters from stories."

Loki frowned. "I am in a story?"

Kyra nodded as she buttered some toast. After some hesitation she took out a second plate.

"Yep. Here." She took her phone and switched on the Internet. A quick search brought up the handsome British actor.

"Tom Hiddleston. He acts as you."

Loki eyed the photo with suspicion. "I am not blonde. He should have played the part of Thor."

"Aish, a quick hair dye solves that!" Kyra filled both plates and handed both to Loki.

"Take it to the dining table. I'm getting the coffee."

Loki looked about to object, but in the end grudgingly complied. It was a strange feeling for him, to do what he saw was servant's work. But he was no longer on Asgard, and he would have to adapt.

One sip of coffee however, soon had him spluttering.

"Pah! What in Bor's name is this foul brew?"

Kyra giggled. "It's called coffee. Here, put in more sugar."

It took three tablespoons of sugar before Loki pronounced it fit for consumption.

"Someone's got a sweet tooth," Kyra commented.

Loki bit hesitantly into the toast and it wasn't so bad. He took a larger bite. To be honest he was ravenous; his last meal had been yesterday's breakfast in Asgard.

Kyra watched him wolf down the toast. She gave a small chuckle of laughter. Quietly she pushed the plate forward before getting up to make herself more. _No sense in starving my fairy godmother._

Loki was halfway through Kyra's plate before realizing that it was hers. He swallowed it down, hesitated, then thanked her gruffly.

"No problem!" was the chirpy reply. She came back with _two_ more plates and Loki's eyes gleamed.

"You called me a strange name yesterday," he said between bites, "and I would like to know its meaning."

He swallowed. "What is a _boy-friend_?"

Kyra choked on her coffee and coughed violently.

Loki waited, a piece of toast chewing in his mouth.

"Um. Well." Kyra winced. There was no going around it. "It's a Midgard term for a - lover."

Loki didn't exactly choke, but his eyes did enlarged and his eyebrows just _flew_ upwards.

"What?"

Kyra bit her lip. "It's complicated! Here on Earth women who are single sometimes get teased for it. I didn't like the teasing ... so I lied and said I had a boyfriend! I didn't mean to drag _you_ into it, but it just happened ... "

Curiously enough, Loki's eyes were sparkling.

"A lie you say. So you mean this is trickery? It is a prank you are pulling on all your friends? Even the king Richard?"

Kyra watched him warily. "Yes ... "

Loki chuckled. "It seems that mischief is ripe across all nine realms, only in different forms! My presence must reverberate across the universe!"

Kyra watched him, a little bewildered. "So - you aren't mad?"

"Hardly. Why be mad over a little mischief?"

Kyra blinked. She proceeded with caution. "So you wouldn't mind pretending to be my lover? To put on an act and scam everyone?"

Loki shrugged and sipped his coffee. He was getting quite used to the taste.

"A relationship with a mortal is too beneath me. However, I _am_ bounded to you. Your word is my bidding." His eyes glinted with humor. "And the idea of fooling everyone, including the Midgard king as well, is highly _appealing._ I look forward to this task."

Kyra clapped her hands against the table, pleased.

"Alright! No more teasing from Miss Regina George!" She gave a whoop of cheer.

They finished their breakfast, and as Kyra cleaned up she spoke over her shoulder.

"Get my bag will you? We're going out."

Loki frowned. "Out? But where?"

Kyra dried the dishes and turned to stare.

"You'll be on Midgard for one month right? You'll need supplies. Clothes. Shoes." She eyed Loki's slick black hair. "A comb and decent shampoo."

She put down the dishcloth.

"Which is why, Mr Loki sir, we are going _shopping_."


	8. Of Trolleys & Toothbrushes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> maniacal shopping spree

**BLACK** chinos. A hooded leather jacket. A green slim-fit shirt. A blue collared outfit.

Loki's arms were piled high with clothes as Kyra plucked item after item off the shelves.

"Am I to try on all these?" he asked, thunderstruck.

Kyra nodded even as she pulled down a navy blue Polo shirt.

"Yeap! Changing room now!" He was bundled off into a room and left alone. Sighing, he eyed all the clothing. _By Odin's eye, it will take me a month to get through these._

"Mmm. Green does look nice on you. We're taking that."

"Pull up the hood! That flap behind you! It _is_ called a hooded jacket for a reason." Loki obliged. Kyra laughed, hard. "You look like a palace assassin! Make a funny face! Go on!"

It wasn't just one shop that they had to visit. Kyra dragged Loki into Uniqlo, Armani, Target and Brands Outlet. Loki watched as she fished out a plastic card at every counter.

"Are you rich, mortal?" he asked. "These clothes of mine do not look cheap."

Kyra took the receipt and handed the shopping bags to Loki, who was already carrying two in each hand.

"Nope! Am not. But you are my genie," she winked. "I could always ask for an endless supply of riches!"

Then there were the shoes. Loki didn't quite like the - what were they called? _Slippers_.

"They are ungainly, like a dying fish," he pronounced. "They flop and flap too much." To which Kyra laughed so hard she was doubled over and had to sit down at a nearby bench.

"What?" asked Loki, completely bewildered.

Kyra bought him a phone too, and thought him how to use it. Phone calls, texting, the whole lot.

"Midgard technology is wonderful!" he declared as he heard Kyra's voice coming over the phone for the first time.

The sales assistant approached them. "We have 20% off for our couple phone covers. Would the two of you like to take a look?"

Kyra flushed. She was just opening her mouth to tell the girl that she had made a mistake when Loki stepped close and placed a hand around her waist.

"Is it truly that obvious how loving we are?" He looked down at Kyra, who was standing there stunned, mouth ajar.

He gave her a roguish wink. And Kyra felt the first butterfly flutter in her stomach.

"What was that?" she hissed after they had left the shop.

Loki spun his new cellphone around his fingers. "You told me to be your pretend lover did you not?"

"Only in front of my friends! Not everyone else!"

"Ahh. My apologies. I'll keep that in mind." A smile played around his lips.

Kyra felt her cheeks warming and she excused herself hurriedly, heading for the toilet. She splashed cold water on her cheeks and shook her head.

_Focus Kyra, focus. There's BIG rewards for you to reap here. Not only is he going to grant you three wishes, he's also a true Asgardian god. A GOD. You know what this means. This is headline material! I can just see it now._

_**"A** _ **_sgardian God On Earth!"_ **  
**_"Alternate Universes Exist!"_ **  
**_"The Legends Are Real!"_ **

_All these articles, written by Kyra Pierce. Me. I'll finally be the successful journalist I've always wanted to be. I'll snap photos, take a video of him returning to Asgard - I'll have to be careful though. Maybe I'll even get a shot of that King Odin! Too bad I was drunk last night._

She eyed her reflection with determination. He was _it_. The man who will rocket her career.

They made their way to the supermarket after that, and Loki's eyes gleamed when he caught sight of the trolleys.

Pretty soon -

"Slow down! For Christ's sake Loki, _slow down_!" Kyra shrieked as she sat crouched in the trolley. "Y _o_ _u're supposed to decelerate before making a turn, not accelerate!"_

It was both thrilling and terrifying how Loki hurtled the trolley - and her - down the aisles at breakneck speeds. She couldn't help laughing and she could hear his velvet voice laughing behind too.

"I must bring this - _trolley -_ back to Asgard!" He gave a light hop and landed on the metal bar at the back of the trolley, between the wheels. Balancing himself he raised both hands in a regal gesture and rode the momentum.

"I am Loki, God of Mischief!" Kyra laughed.

They reached the tinned goods."Tomato sauce. _The can -_ Loki, yeap that's right."

Then, at the seafood section -

"Loki! You don't just throw the raw fish into the trolley, you have to let the man wrap it up in plastic first!"

They reached the shelves of hygiene care products and Kyra rattled off a few items. She was surrounded by cans and vegetables so she couldn't move. Loki was the one that reached over to grab his new toothbrush off the shelf.

His cheek was only half an inch away from her. She could smell his scent, something she hadn't noticed before. It was crisp and clear, like citrus and mint. Faint stubble lined his jaw. _Dang, even his stubble growth looks perfect._

Right on cue Loki turned his head sideways to eye her, as if knowing her thoughts. Startled, Kyra cleared her throat loudly and looked off elsewhere. Loki's lips twitched.

They paid and headed for the parking lot. Kyra had walked ahead for a few feet before realizing that Loki wasn't following. She turned.

He was standing before the automated glass doors. He would inch forward, a few steps at a time, and when the doors slid open he would leapt back. He looked like a cat pawing at a new toy.

He hailed Kyra. "This is a wonder mortal! It senses my presence and opens by itself! What kind of magic is this?"

A family nearby was staring. Embarrassed, Kyra marched firmly over and pinched the sleeve of his new black shirt.

"It's called technology. Now let's go before people think you're nuts."

He frowned. " _Nuts_? That is yet another word of which I have not heard. Is it an insult?"

Kyra rolled her eyes. She stepped off the platform and onto the tarmac, while tugging Loki along and saying, "You are one seriously - "

"Woman! Behind you!"

A strong arm grabbed hold of Kyra's shoulder and she found herself pulled close to Loki's chest, just as a car went zooming by.

_Heart skipped a beat._

"Midgard mortals are truly more susceptible to dangers. I know of no Asgardian who would not have notice that - _car_. Or is it just you?"

Kyra was too stunned to speak, and it was not from the near miss with the vehicle.

She pushed Loki away. She swallowed, and managed to blurt out,

"It's all your fault! If you had just followed along instead of - of playing with doors - " She floundered. "We need to get to my car!"

She turned around and walked off, footsteps fast and furious.

_I cannot possibly be attracted to an Asgardian god, even if he is more handsome than Tom Hiddleston! Oh my goodness, get your act together, Kyra Pierce!_

From behind, Loki cocked a head and smiled lightly, mischief toying with his lips.

_I think I might find Midgard a little more fun than expected._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had Lee Seung Gi's "Losing My Mind" the whole time I was writing this


	9. Of Courting & Camelot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't know but ~  
> I think I may be  
> Falling for you ~  
> Dropping so quickly

**THE** glass building towered above them, its doors revolving tirelessly around the people walking in and out. A light summer breeze was blowing.

Kyra tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She pulled her shoulder bag close. Today she was wearing a cinnamon chiffon blouse and jeans. A general feeling of nervousness lurked around her, and it must have shown because the velvet voice next to her said,

"Your lack of confidence wounds me, mortal. Have you forgotten that lies and trickery are the tools of my trade?"

Kyra looked over. Loki was wearing a dark green formal shirt and black dress pants, but he'd rolled up the long sleeves to his elbow and was looking pretty darn good. His black hair, slicked back from his forehead and tucked behind his ears, was a strange style that worked very well for him. Kyra doubted that any other man would have been able to pull it off.

"One question though," she asked. " _Why_ do you want to come work at _Tidbits_ again?"

Loki tucked a hand into his pocket.

"I cannot possibly be moldering away in that little hut of yours for one month, can I? Besides, interaction with as many mortals as possible will look kindly in my favor when I report back to Father. You spoke of your job as mainly dealing with people did you not?"

"That's really all we do," she admitted.

"Wonderful! Though I do not look forward to it, it will be of use."

Kyra bit her lip. "Just - act normal okay?" She paused. "And stop with the whole - formal language thing! Act like a mortal!"

"Ahhh, now that is one prank I do not think I can pull off." He gave a trickster's smile and crossed the street.

Kyra watched him go. "Oh boy," she sighed before following him.

In the _Tidbits_ office, Loki stood with hands behind his back, smiling charmingly as the five journalists stared back at him.

"Um. Hi. This is, uh, my boyfriend." Kyra swallowed. She should really have thought of a nice little back story for Loki before coming over. Now she would have to generate something on the spot.

"He uh, wanted to get some working experience since he's going to be - _inheriting_ a successful business soon, so he decided to do a one-month stint here."

_Dang. Did that sound lame? I hope it doesn't sound lame._

Sherria pushed herself to the front and gave Loki a slow once-over, from his black shoes to his black hair.

It was evident that she liked what she saw, because she beamed her most dazzling smile at him, fluttered her eyelashes and asked in a voice of syrup,

"What's your name again?"

_Rats. A name. A mortal name. Name name name name name....._

Loki smiled and said, "It is Lo - "

_Is he seriously going to tell them his real name?!_

"Lancelot!" Kyra blurted out before Loki could finish.

The room stared at her.

"But you can call him Lance," she finished meekly.

" _Lancelot?_ "

Kyra bit her lip. Loki watched her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well uh ... you guys must have heard of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table right? Apparently his" - here she gestured at Loki - "grandfather ... on the _mother's_ side ... is the great-great-great-great cousin of the _original_ Sir Lancelot, and so he named his first grandson, which is _this_ Lancelot, after _that_ Lancelot."

Sherria frowned. " _Cousin?_ "

"Second cousin actually," interjected Loki smoothly. "Three times removed."

"Oh yes, Kyra did mention once that you were of a wealthy background." Richard laughed heartily. "She never said you had traces of royal blood though!"

Loki gave a disarming smile. "Well, I am considered to be the prince of the family."

Sherria spoke up. "So your full name is?"

"I think I'll let Kyra finish the introductions," Loki deflected. "She seems to be doing it spectacularly well so far."

_Aw great, now I need a goddarn surname!_

"Um, well. Right. His full name is Lancelot ... " Her eyes darted around wildly as she searched for something - anything! - that could give her inspiration.

They landed on Cecilia's laptop, that was showing Adele's official music video.

"... Vevo ... " She trailed off.

" _Vevo?"_

Loki struggled to keep a straight face.

 _Damn, that won't fly,_ Kyra thought.

"Did I say Vevo?" she asked brightly. "I meant - Vivaldi. Yeap. Lancelot Vivaldi."

"Vivaldi? Isn't that that famous music composer?" frowned Cecilia.

"Ah yes. On my _father's_ side you know. An uncle this time." Loki added.

_Damn he catches on fast._

"Yeap!" Kyra nodded vigorously, displaying a wide, _wide_ smile. " ... Also three times removed!"

Loki tut-tutted in disagreement. "Wasn't it _four_ , dear?" he teased on purpose.

She could just _see_ the laughter dancing in his eyes.

"I wouldn't know ... _dear_ ," she shot back, "it's your family tree, not mine!"

Sherria continued digging.

"Kyra said your family runs a business. What sort of business?"

Loki thought. What types of businesses do mortals have?

He only knew one.

"Transportation," he declared. "Like ... cars."

"Your father works in car manufacturing?"

Loki paused. "Well I guess not really cars. Ship manufacturing."

 _Ships?_ Kyra thought.

"Ships?" Sherria frowned. 

_"Big_ ships," Loki clarified. "For the royalty."

"Like the British royal family," Kyra jumped in."You know, all the HMS-es."

"Let us not forget the Navy. Sea defense I believe."

"They build yachts too. And ocean liners."

" _Luxury_ ocean liners."

"Right. _Luxury_ ocean liners."

"Your father sounds like a very busy man," Richard remarked.

"Oh believe me, he _is_." Loki smiled.

"Well Lance, _Tidbits_ is more than happy to welcome you aboard! Though journalism is quite a far stretch from ... ship manufacturing, but more hands make for lighter work eh?" Richard gestured at the office. "We don't have an empty cubicle next to your girlfriend I'm afraid, but there _is_ one oppositeher. Next to Sherria."

"That's me." Sherria stuck her hand out daintily and batted her baby blues.

Kyra rolled her eyes. She knew how the cogs of Sherria's brain work. _Handsome + rich + status = must have man!_

The rest of the employees introduced themselves, and as everyone filed away to their work stations Loki leaned over and whispered,

"Those were _brilliant_ improvisations by the way."

"Shut up," she hissed. "You're not exactly an expert yourself. _Ships?_ "

He shrugged. "I was thinking about Asgard transportation."

"What _is_ Asgard transportation?"

"Ships. Flying ones naturally."

Loki headed over to his cubicle and set down his things. Instantly, Sherria began pawing over him. Kyra made for her own cubicle. 

_I am not jealous. I. Am. Not. Jealous._

The steady hum of work soon began. There was an article Kyra had to type out by this evening and she focused herself on that. Or at least, she _tried_ to. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Sherria hovering and fawning and cooing non-stop, and as the minutes ticked by her fingers hit the keyboard with far more force than was necessary.

_Seriously? He's supposed to be my boyfriend. Didn't I make that obvious? And what was up with_ _**him** _ _? Isn't he supposed to pretend to be my lover? Even though we're not really in a relationship the whole thing is going to fall apart if he starts flirting with another girl!_

She took a gulp of water from her cup then slammed it down on the table, hard.

Eric peeked out over the cubicle divider. 

"Are you o - " He didn't get to finish.

"I. Am. _Fine._ Perfectly _fine._ " She cut in, placing heavy emphasis on the last word.

Loki heard the loud bang and glanced, just briefly. The corners of his lips quirked upwards. He returned his attention to the laptop in front of him.

The mortal had taught him how to utilize this marvel yesterday night, or at least the basics. Now this Sherria maiden was teaching him the basics of this trade called journalism - how to create interesting "headlines" and source for material online, how to piece the information together and make connections.

"So first you Google for recent hit searches ... " She leaned over to type, and the distance she placed between the two of them seemed a little too close than necessary. 

There was a certain scent wafting off of her too, a strong floral fragrance. What was it the mortals called? Ah, _perfume._ This maiden had put on quite a liberal dose of it. For some reason she was rather fond of body painting - there was paint on her nails, on her lips, a dash on her cheeks ... To Loki she looked like a heavily colored doll the likes of which a five-year-old child with minimal muscle control might have drawn.

Sherria caught sight of Loki inspecting her manicure and she preened at the attention. Seeing this as an opportunity she spoke.

"So Lance, how is dating Kyra like? Don't you find it - rather dull?"

Loki thought of the drunken singing and the vomiting, being pulled into her bed then attacked next morning, being taken on a trolley ride around the supermarket and the introduction to all the mortals' new-fangled technology. 

_Dull? Hardly._

Sherria took the silence as permission to continue.

"I mean, Kyra isn't the kind of person who's likely to try new things. She's always so - so _safe._ Wearing the same office wear, doing the same things. An endless cycle of repetition." 

Her voice turned low and sultry. "Unlike _me_ of course. My life is constant _excitement_. I like doing new things. _Lots_ of new things. I like doing things that raises the heartbeat and pumps up the adrenaline and whips up butterflies in the stomach. Things that make you _feel_ amazing, things that makes you go short of breath ... "

Loki wandered what was wrong with her eyes. She kept fluttering them. 

"That sounds extremely alarming." His voice was calm and even. "Are you at high risk of having sudden death?" 

Sherria blinked. The sexiness fell away immediately. "What?"

"You spoke of _raised heartbeats_ and _shortness of breath_. I may be no doctor, but all those resemble the symptoms of a heart attack. Perhaps you should consult the nearest clinic." He smiled politely at her and reached for his cup of water.

Sherria stared, her mouth slightly ajar. _Was this guy dense or playing hard to get?_

"Well - no - I mean, what I'm saying is, you look so handsome and charming, and you have high status! So I was wondering what made you settle with Kyra. I bet you're a total ladies man aren't you? How many ex-girlfriends do you have? 10? 20? Does Kyra know?"

At the mention of the word "girlfriend" and its accompanying numbers, Loki choked. He coughed and gave a snort of laughter. Back in Asgard, the man with all the ladies' attention was his brother, Thor. He had always been the one that watched from the side, sometimes stepping in to resolve the mess left behind, or being the courier that send messages between his brother and his dalliances. All this while he had been wandering _why in Bor's name_ _was this golden-haired maiden coming on so strongly?_ Now he knew. 

_It seems that maidens of different realms have different preferences when it comes to their choice of husbands_ , he thought, hiding his laughter. _Perhaps there is some hope for Herrick after all._

In the cubicle opposite, Kyra heard the laughter. She seethed. Reaching for the cup she went to take a gulp - only to find that it was empty. She stood up.

Eric looked over. "Whe - where are you going, Miss Pierce?"

Kyra shot a steely glare over at the duo opposite and spoke loudly. "I'm getting myself a really _really_ big glass of iced, freezing, _cold_ _water_." 

Loki glimpsed her leaving in a huff. She kept her nose tilted high as she walked past his desk. Sherria saw it and again grasped the opportunity. 

"See? The way she walks is just so unfriendly! She doesn't really get much attention from men, to be honest. Did she tell you?" Sherria lowered her voice to a conspiratorial hush. " _Her last boyfriend was in the uni!_ Can you imagine that? She's been out of the dating world for _four years!_ Not like _me_ of course. My last boyfriend was - oh, two weeks ago. But I'm single now. _Sexy, free and_ _available._ "

Loki frowned and turned fully to her. "So you receive many attention from men? How many lovers have you had?"

Sherria's eyes lit up. _Bingo. Ha! Kyra, you're so going to get dumped!_

"Oh well. Let me see." She made a big show of frowning and thinking, as if her boyfriends had been so many she couldn't remember the number. "Maybe about eighteen? Nineteen?"

Loki's eyes widened and his face morphed into one of utmost shock and pity.

"You have loved _nineteen times_ and yet not been able to retain a man long enough for him to become your _husband?_ Truly, I was not aware of such people who are so unluckyin love." He put on his most sympathetic and encouraging expression. "But fear not! Although success might never come, continue to persevere! I am sure that you will find a man who will see past all _this_ " - and he gestured to Sherria's entire figure, from top to toe - "and spot the tiny flame of goodness that burns hidden within."

He stood up, holding his cup in hand, smiling wide. "Now. If you'll excuse me, I have need of replenishing my drink."

He walked around her and out of the cubicle, clucking his tongue sorrowfully. " _Nineteen times indeed ..."_

Sherria just sat there, flabbergasted and outraged.

Kyra banged her cup noisily against the sink as she washed it, her movements fast and jerky.

"Laughing and smiling like a complete fool," she muttered, scrubbing the sponge furiously across the ceramic surface. "Apparently even gods turn into _idiots_ in the face of women ... "

There was movement and she noticed Loki entering. She clamped up immediately, and her speed of washing increased. 

Loki made his way across the kitchenette and to the water dispenser, his movements easygoing and unperturbed. He seemed completely oblivious to the waves of anger that rolled off of Kyra and on to him.

Commence silence.

Kyra was the one that broke it first. She rapped the cup down on the stainless sink and snapped out, 

"By the way, have you forgotten that the two of us are _acting as a couple?_ We don't exactly look like one if you flirt with every Jane that walks past!"

Loki inhaled through his teeth. " _Flirt._ That is yet another foreign word. Ah. Is it the Midgard term for courting?"

Kyra refused to be thrown off track. "Flirting - courting - whatever! Just do it after this one month!" She narrowed her eyes and pointed at him with a threatening finger. "If this fails and I get exposed by Sherria, I'm going to make sure _you fail_ with that mighty King Obeen of yours."

"Odin," Loki corrected.

She threw up her hands in frustration. "Ah whatever! Just don't get us exposed by your endless flirting - _courting!_ "

Loki put his cup down and leaned against the table, arms folded across his chest. He met Kyra's eyes steadily and phrased his words in a manner that left no doubt.

"I have no intention of courting that golden-haired maiden now, nor do I have any intention of courting her after this one month. I do not find her attractive. So you have no need for concern."

Somewhat mollified and flustered by his sudden serious tone, Kyra floundered for a moment.

"C-Concern? What concern? Do I _look_ concerned? I do not. Nope! Na-uh! I'm just worried that we'll get exposed. Do I care if you court her after this? Nope! I don't care if you court her next month or next year or - "

Without warning, Loki moved. Smooth and silent. One step forward, one hand on her shoulder, pulling her close.

Kyra's words grounded to a halt as Loki planted a light, gentle kiss on her forehead.

_Heart skipped a beat._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeeeeeeeeeeeeeet


	10. Of Jokes & Jalapenos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> here comes the little glimpse into the dark

**THE** forehead kiss took Kyra completely by surprise. She froze at the contact, and her breath caught in her throat.

Loki's lips brushed her hair before leaning down and whispering in her ear.

"We have company. A little closeness will help our case, yes?"

Kyra glanced. She could just see the blonde hair flying out of sight as its owner ducked behind the kitchenette doors.

 _So it had been for show. For a moment - I thought -_ She discontinued the line of thinking.

Her heartbeat settled, but only a teensy bit. She swallowed.

"What do we do now?" she whispered.

A rolling motion of his shoulders. "Wait it out and hope she leaves." Slyness crept into his dulcet tones. "If that fails to work, perhaps a few more kisses might do the job?"

Kyra glared. "Don't you dare!"

Loki's green eyes twinkled.

It was about half a minute before Sherria finally grew bored and left. Kyra slid out and away from the sink immediately. She stood to one side, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, not knowing where to look.

Loki took his full cup. "You owe me a kiss." He smiled, and left.

*

Lunch came and went, and soon it was late evening. Richard stepped out from his office.

"Journalists assemble!" he barked.

Loki watched with amusement as they scrambled to clear up their desks.

"Come on, Lance!" called Cecilia as she tucked her purse inside her black bag. "That's the boss' signal that he's buying us a meal tonight. Let's go!"

Dinner was taken at a Chinese restaurant downtown. The friendly waitress that served them brought up the open-air market two blocks away. Naturally when Richard heard that it mostly sold street food of all nationalities he declared that it was their next stop.

It was a whole new experience for the Asgardian god. All around him Loki could hear oil sizzling and bananas frittering and traders hollering over one another. And the _smells._ He didn't knew that there could be such a wide array of such amazing _smells._

He leaned over and spoke in Kyra's ear, over the hubbub of the crowd.

"Why do you female mortals not make your fragrance out of this?"

"I'm sorry! What?" Kyra yelled back over the noise.

"Your perfume!" Loki shouted back. "You would attract every single man within a mile with this scent!"

Kyra burst into fits of giggles.

A particular smell hit Loki's nostrils. His head jerked up. He strode with purpose to a certain stall, before gesturing back at Kyra.

"Mortal! Over here!"

Kyra came close. The stall owner was a jovial plump woman that greeted them warmly, her voice heavy with a Spanish accent.

Kyra looked down at the long, fried sausage-like things. She gave a little laugh and threw Loki a look.

"These are chocolate-filled churros. You _do_ have a sweet tooth!"

They bought one paper bag's worth - five churros - and Loki eagerly reached in to take one.

"Blast! These - _churros_ , burn!"

"Well, they _are_ hot off the oil. Take it slow. No one's gonna steal your churros."

Loki dangled the churro over his mouth and took a bite. His eyes widened. He stared at the fried snack.

"This is a heavenly delicacy! What a taste!" He bit off another piece, and another and another.

Kyra laughed. "Congratulations! You've discovered one of Earth's seven wonders - chocolate."

The sticky sweet sauce trickled out as Loki's teeth sank in, and there was a little stain in the right corner of his lips. He didn't even seemed to notice, and continued chomping away on the churros like there was no tomorrow.

Kyra's eyebrows knitted together, and she couldn't help saying,

"You know, you have something on your mouth - a stain - here ..." She pulled out a tissue and dabbed at it.

Loki swallowed down the bite in his mouth, and his fingers didn't reach into the bag for the next one. Instead, he watched the mortal before him try to wipe the stain off; he noted how her face creased in concentration, and saw how the yellow lights of the stalls sparked off her tawny locks. 

The stain gone, Kyra drew back. "There. Done. You're a pretty clumsy eater, aren't you?" She gave another one of her laughs, a clear crystal sound that rung in the air, and smiled back at Loki. For a moment, just a moment, his emerald green eyes softened.

They walked down more stalls. By that time the group had separated - Cecilia and Harry were together of course, while Richard had stayed behind to converse with a Mexican man about his _'epic tacos'_. Eric and Sherria spotted a few stalls that sold clothes, and had made a beeline for that. Sherria could never resist, and Eric wanted to buy his girlfriend a birthday present. So it was just Loki and Kyra, going from stall to stall, with Loki pulling her one way then the next, mostly following his nose. He really _did_ have a sweet tooth, and Kyra watched as he sampled caramel apples, blueberry crepes and fruit pudding, then pronounced each one far better than the former, before being distracted by yet another delicious smell.

Kyra was watching a man toss _chapati_ in the air when Loki called her. Awed by the man's dexterous handling of the _chapati_ , she kept looking but yelled back over her shoulder, "What?"

Confusion colored Loki's voice utterly.

"How do you mortals pluck clouds out of the air and set them on sticks? Are they truly as tasty as they look?"

_Huh? What?_

Kyra turned. Loki was standing at a candy floss stand and looked utterly enraptured.

Again Kyra giggled. His reactions were just so priceless. _Do they only have bread and cabbages at Asgard? It's like he's never had a proper meal!_

Kyra walked over and paid the man for one stick of the swirly sweet confection. She handed it to Loki, who stood there holding it and looking extremely perplexed.

"How do you eat it?"

Kyra tsk-tsked. She took the candy floss from him.

"Like this. Watch."

She bit into it, the sugar melting away all over her tongue. She beamed. She'd quite forgotten how nice this was.

Loki watched, and when she made to return the candy to him he told her to take a second bite.

"You have bought me quite a number of Midgard delicacies, yet you have only taken a few bites. Have another one." His velvet voice reminded Kyra of smooth chocolate. _Gosh, all this food is influencing me!_

She went for a second round, and as her teeth cut through the sweet pink cloud, Loki leaned in, and took his own bite.

Their lips were only inches apart, his face directly opposite hers, and she was staring into those green eyes, and seeing for the first time just how striking they were in the stalls' yellow lights.

Time slipped off its tracks. She went immobile immediately of course - he had that effect on her, and sometimes she wondered if he wasn't actually a wizard that had mastered _Petrificus Totalus_ without a wand - while Loki seemed to lock eyes with her a little too long than necessary.

Brown irises meeting green ones, two hearts beating in a shared space, as if yearning to reach out for the other. He was the one that pulled away first, drawing himself up with that easy elegant grace.

He stretched, looking out over the rest of the stalls. His expression was one of nonchalance, as if what he had just done was something he did every day, to just about anyone.

For Kyra it was no casual gesture. Her heartbeat had spiked and there were more than a few butterflies taking flight in her stomach. She blinked, as if stunned.

Loki saw the look on her face. "Yes?" he asked, all wide-eyed and innocent.

But Kyra could see the smug smile hanging around his lips.

She glared at him, and just about shoved the candy floss to his chest. More to convince herself than to convince him, she directed an accusatory finger his way and spoke firmly,

"You are _not_ my _type_."

Shooting him a last look she marched off. Loki let out a small laugh. His long legs soon caught up and he pestered her persistently from behind her shoulder.

" _Type?_ That is not a strange word, but the context in which you use is not one I have heard before. ' _You are not my type.' "_ he repeated. "What does that mean?"

Kyra ignored him and marched on. He kept on it for awhile, his voice getting more teasing by the minute as his guesses got wilder and more ridiculous. Kyra had a feeling she was blushing and hoped it didn't show.

As they passed a stall there was the sound of oil frying and Loki was successfully distracted.

"Mortal! What are those?"

Kyra looked. Recognition glimmered in her eyes, followed by a sudden, sneaky glint. She struggled to keep a straight face.

_Alright, you ridiculously hot Asgardian god. It's your turn to be at the receiving end of the mischief._

"Ahh those? They're like churros." Loki's eyes lit up. "You want some? I'll get it for you."

She bought a bag and handed it to Loki, all the while biting her tongue to keep from giggling. _Don't give the game away now, don't give the game away._

Loki took the bag and reached a hand in. He pulled out one and offered it to Kyra, who politely refused.

 _No way am I eating that_.

Loki inhaled the smell ... smiled ... Kyra watched in anticipation ... and Loki put it into his mouth.

_Here comes the fireworks._

One crunch downwards released everything. The wave of flavors burst out, hitting Loki straight on the tongue, and -

"Aargghh! Hak! Pah!" The eagerness on Loki's face vanished in a tidal tsunami of horror.

He spat the snack out violently, but the damage had been done and Kyra knew the after-effects were still as devastating. Loki actually gave a little hop in the air and stuck his tongue out, leaving it to hang. He looked around frantically and Kyra knew he was looking for water, but no way was she helping him with that. He deserved it, and anyway she was laughing so hard tears were almost coming out of her eyes.

Loki glared at her, a mixture of indignation and pain.

" _What by Odin's eye was that foul thing?_ "

She was laughing too much she couldn't answer, and when Loki yelped again in pain and started fanning his tongue she crouched down by the stall and continued laughing.

"Deep fried ... _jalapenos ..._ " she managed to get out before dissolving into a fresh bout of guffaws.

Loki shot both her and the stall a barbed look of venom. She laughed even harder.

Finally she managed to regain some of her composure. "The God of Mischief pranked," she teased. "Now you know what it's like!"

Loki was standing stiffly, looking rather huffy and miffed. Kyra giggled. She took hold of his shirt and tugged it, trying to get him to move.

"Come on. Let's get you some water." Loki refused to budge. "Aww, is our little Asgardian god feeling offended? Should I apologize?" she teased.

In the end he allowed her to drag her off. He wasn't really offended, though he pretended to be very much so. A light smile was actually playing on his lips, but every time the mortal looked back he wiped it off and put on his poker face. They walked the streets again, and saw a stall selling carbonated drinks. Kyra ran over and bought two.

"Here. I bet Asgard doesn't have Coca-Cola right? This is really good. Very sweet!"

Loki eyed her with suspicion. "I am not entirely sure I should trust you anymore, woman."

Kyra bit back her laughter. "I'm serious! It's really nice! Look."

She popped the can and tilted her head back in a big gulp. "Mmm! Really nice! See? Nothing bad!"

She handed him his can. Loki contemplated it a few moments more, before finally taking it gingerly. He made to pull back the ring tab like how Kyra had done, but she stopped him.

"Ah! I forgot! A good can of soda needs to be _shaken_ properly first before you open it. So all the flavors mix well." She tried to take it back, but Loki stopped her.

"Why did you not shake yours?" he asked, tone wary.

"Told you. I forgot. You don't want to trust me? Fine. Don't blame me if it tastes like - coffee. _Without_ the sugar," she added.

A short flush of apprehension in Loki's eyes. Rather grudgingly he handed her the can. She took it, and shook it hard, _really hard,_ for about half a minute. Up down right left up up again. Round and round she went, shaking as if her life depended on it.

"There we are!" She smiled widely, returning to him the can. "Now you just need to pull that little thingy on the top. Pull really hard by the way. It's kinda hard to open sometimes."

Loki pulled, hard, and Kyra took a few steps back. The fizz gushed out at once, spilling all over Loki's fingers, and down to the ground. He leapt backwards but kept his hand outstretched, eyes wide in alarmed surprise. Kyra cracked up.

Realizing that he'd been tricked - _again -_ Loki narrowed his eyes.

"Haha. A very funny mortal you are. Come here!" He lunged forward, and some of the fizz droplets splashed around Kyra's shoes. She gave a little shriek and took off down among the stalls. Loki followed, in hot pursuit.

She looked back once in a while, hair flying in the wind, the laughter showing itself not only on her lips, but also in her soft brown eyes. Loki was laughing too, and this time it wasn't a smirk nor a sly snigger - it was a genuine sound of carefree enjoyment. Something he hadn't been doing in a long long time.

He was actually having _fun_.

When it happened, it happened quick and without warning.

A stall nearby was doing the flambe, and the flame leapt up sudden and fierce. Loki was dashing past, and as the light from the fire entered his vision, he felt a sharp pounding in his head. There was a ringing in his ears, and the world seemed to blur into one messy shade. His footsteps slowed, he was feeling dizzy, something was not right ... he felt his chest constricted, for some reason he couldn't breathe, and his legs weren't working like how they used to be, and everything was spinning spinning _spinning ..._

It was a while before Kyra realized that Loki was no longer playing the game of chase. She looked back, and five feet away there he was. He was doubled over, his head low and his hands on his knees. The soda can had fallen to the ground, the drink spilling all over.

She frowned. "Loki? Are you alright?" She took a few steps forward to him.

As if hearing her - though that couldn't be possible considering how loud the market was - he looked up, the movement slow and labored. His eyes met hers, and she was shocked to see how dark they were. Not only that, she could see the agony in there as well, scorching and searing.

He took a step forward, a hand reaching out - _it's trembling! -_ as if in a plea for help, before suddenly his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground.

" _Loki!_ "she screamed, and then she was running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this chapter


	11. Of Flames & Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wait  
> what's this?

Kyra reached him and crouched down. Loki was sitting on the ground, looking dazed. His eyes were unfocused, and even though she was right in front of him it was like he couldn't see.

"Loki? Loki! What's wrong with you? What's going on?" He didn't respond, and the panic that swept all over her was overwhelming. She didn't know what was happening and she didn't know what to do; was this a mortal illness, like - like fainting from low blood sugar? Or was this something bigger that she couldn't comprehend?

Loki sagged heavily against her and no amount of shouting could wake him up. His eyes were glazed, like he was watching something far away.

Kyra held one arm protectively around him as people stopped to whisper and stare. She took out her phone and dialed. Her voice was anxious.

"Richard? It's me, Kyra. Listen, there's something up with Lo - Lance, and I need to get him to the hospital. No, I don't know what's going on, but he looks like he's about to faint any second ... I'll just take a taxi or something. No, don't bother to come find us, we're at the other end of the market and I can't wait ... he looks really bad ..."

*** * * * * * * ***

  
_P_ _ain._ _Screams of pain. But they weren't his._

_He was cradled by warm arms that trembled lightly. The timber walls of the house were not thick enough to muffle the roars of the war going on outside._

_Frightened, he began to cry._ _A soft voice hushed him and he was rocked gently._

_"Sssshhh it's okay child, hush ... mother's right here." The voice that spoke was light and soothing; it tried to calm him even though it shook with fear._

_He turned his head a little and faced the window of the house. The shutters were closed, but through tiny cracks and gaps he could see flames and fire blazing, harsh and all-consuming_ _, l_ _eaping tongues of light in his vision ..._

*** * * * *** *** * * * ***

Kyra managed to get Loki on his feet. It was as if his mind had wandered to another world entirely, he just wasn't _present_. Kyra had to pull him a few times before he started shuffling his feet in the direction she wanted.

They moved away from the throng of people. The market was held in the middle of a grassy field, and Kyra had to cross a few feet of deserted space before reaching the streets, where she could hail a cab.

Loki had broken out in cold sweat. His breaths were coming out in short gasps. Fear and pain flashed intermittently on his face. 

Kyra bit her lip as Loki let out a small sound of distress. She quickened her footsteps. Loki's weight however, kept him back and he slipped away from her grasp. His legs no longer knew how to stand without support, and he ended up kneeling on the grass. 

"Damn it!" she cursed, her voice sick with worry.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

_The door to the house burst open and the arms holding him tensed. Then - a warrior stepped in. It was a woman, and she was tall, very tall. She had on a greyish blue armour and nothing beneath it, even though the current temperature was -78 degrees Celsius. Her eyes were a brilliant crimson red, and narrow ridges outlined her jaw and the smooth blue skin of her scalp._

_The arms holding him relaxed_ _and relief colored the gentle voice._

_"It's you, Kolga. How is it?"_

_The warrior Kolga bowed her head low._

_"The Asgardian force draws ever nearer. King Laufey has bid for me to take you and flee."_

_" ...And the baby?" Her voice went a little shrill at that._

_Kolga would not meet the Queen's eyes. "He is small for a giant's offspring. The people will not see him worthy for the throne._ _His cries too, will become a liability in our escape."_

_"No. No." The voice turned desperate, pleading, and the grip on him tightened._

_Kolga stepped forward, her arms already outstretched. "I will place him in the Temple. The heavens shall decide his fate."_

_"No! No! My baby! My son! Laufey's son!" Her cries rang in his ears._

_*** * * * * * * * * *** _

  
Kyra stood, staring at Loki's fallen form. At that moment, she had never felt so helpless before in her life.

Something was wrong with him, but she didn't know what and she didn't know how to help. Right now all her panicked mind could think of was the hospital; that was the only place she knew that could give answers.

She drew herself up straight and took a deep breath. _I can do this._

She reached down and her fingers pulled at his arm.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

  
_Kolga's fingers pulled at him, her voice calming and coaxing, persuading the woman to let go. But the arms of his biological mother held him tight and her voice cried out in pain and desperation, fixing Kolga with plea after plea after plea......and he was confused, disoriented, he did not know what was going on, except that someone was trying to separate him from his mother, from the arms that were loving and warm, from his safe haven, and he couldn't have that. His voice rose to loud wails and he fought as hard as he could with his chubby fists and legs ..._

**_*_ ** *** * * * * * * * ***

  
Kyra tugged at his arms, trying to get him up and moving. She didn't see the way Loki flinched at the touch, but she did hear the snarl that escaped from his lips and the angry roar.

Loki flung his arm out, his knuckles crashing into Kyra's jaw. She was thrown back and fell on all fours, her face on the grass. Her glasses flew off somewhere.

Stunned, it took a second before she sat up. The shock hurt more than the blow. She pressed her palm against the injured spot and slowly stood up. For a moment her knees seemed to give way and the world spun, but then her head cleared.

She made to look for her glasses, and saw Loki stand up. Through blurred pixelated vision, she could just make out that he was looking her way.

"...Loki?" she whispered, fear tinging her voice.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

  
_He could see her, t_ _he warrior Kolga. Standing in front of him. Suddenly it was as if he had become an outsider. He had left the baby's body and was now standing to one side on the stone floor. He could see the back of the crying woman and the child she held in her arms._

_He had been too young to do anything that day. He had been small, weak._

_He was not any longer._

*** * * * * * * * * ***

  
Loki started to stride toward her, his movements determined and with purpose. Kyra took three steps back, and felt something crunch beneath her shoes. She looked down, lifting a foot.

Her glasses laid broken and cracked among the blades of the grass.

She looked back up - and Loki was right in front of her, mere inches away.

Her eyes met his. He was looking at her but not really seeing. Even without her glasses she could see the pain, the suffering, the fury; but more than that she could see how he was just scared and lost.

"Oh Loki..." Her voice was low, trembling; shaking with fear that was not for her but for _him._

She reached out a hand, to soothe, to calm, to reassure.

And it was with ease that Loki's fingers encircled around her throat and tightened viciously, before slowly lifting her up.

She choked, her throat constricting, the path of oxygen cut off. She grasped Loki's arms, slapping and hitting his wrist.

"Loki!" she gasped. " _Please... it's me_..."

But his face stayed expressionless, and his grip strengthened.

A dull ache in her lungs grew and pulsed erratically, she wheezed and coughed and knew she was about to black out. Already darkness was beginning to eat the corners of her vision.

" _Loki...stop...Loki!"_

*** * * * * * * * * ***

  
_He had her in a killing grip. She was trashing and kicking but he was not about to let go._

_He would kill her, this thief. How dare she tear him away from his mother? He would protect what was his._

_But the voice._

_It was small, coming from far away. Begging for him to stop, pleading. It was a voice he knew, and he had the vague feeling that he was not supposed to hurt the owner of that voice._

_His master. The woman. The mortal._

_But something was n_ _ot right. The voice came from in front of him. From the warrior Kolga. How could that be? Kolga was Kolga, the mortal was the mortal._

_He looked again at the woman whose neck she was gripping._

... _This was Kolga, wasn't it?_

 _The moment the sliver of doubt entered his head the face of Kolga changed, and_ _the world around him did too._

_He was standing on grass, strangling not Kolga but the mortal, and he was not in a house but was on a grassy plain instead. This was not Jotunheim but Midgard._

_The change lasted for only the flicker of a second, but it was enough to render him discombobulated. The scene had been so real and vivid, and his mind could not assimilate these two realities._

_He dropped his hold on Kolga and sank to the ground, head pounding as he let out an anguished yell._

*** * * * * * * * * ***

  
Black spots danced before Kyra's eyes and she felt the last fingers of consciousness retreating. Dimly she was aware of Loki reeling backwards and releasing her. Oxygen rushed through her blood as she landed heavily on the grass. But she was too close to unconsciousness now and continued slipping into darkness.

"Loki," she breathed, reaching a hand out.

Her world blacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did y'all see that coming cos I didn't -


	12. Of Dresses & Dungeons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we're going on a trip  
> in a little Asgard ship

**SOFT** silks beneath caressed her skin. Somewhere light streamed in, but its glare was muted to a warm glow. Kyra yawned sleepily, and stretched. Her hands hit plush pillows and her legs were tucked under thick, lush blankets.

_Mmm. This is very nice. Nice big double bed. Not like mine at home -_

Not hers. _This bed was not hers._

Her eyes flew open. Directly opposite her was a large mahogany wardrobe, and a window letting in natural light. Curtains made of some sort of a sheer material had been drawn half across. She sat up quickly.

A dull bolt of pain lanced through her right temple. She winced, and put a hand up, touching a square piece of material. _What's this?_ There was a full length mirror near the wardrobe, and she got out of bed and moved to it. A patch of gauze stuck to her temple, and when she touched it it hurt. _Must have hit my head when I fell._ There was a bruise on her jaw too, that was already beginning to turn purple. Someone had put a dark blue robe of wool over her.

Kyra looked around automatically for her glasses, before remembering that they had been reduced to shards of glass and plastic. She cringed. Through fuzzy vision she swept her gaze over the bedroom.

_Whoa. This is one large bedroom._

No expenses had been spared in its furnishings either. A rosewood chest-of-drawers served as a bedside table, on which an antique oil lamp sat. The bed she had slept in was a four-poster bed, and even if she extended both her arms while lying down, she could not touch the sides. The colors around her were all of rich royal shades. It reminded her of a palace bedroom.

 _Where am I?_ Even as she asked that question, another more pressing one popped up in her head. _Where is Loki?_

She turned away from the mirror and padded across the bedroom toward the door, her feet sinking soundlessly into the luxurious carpet. She was about to press down on the doorknob when she heard shoes click-clacking down the hallway outside.

She let out a strangled yelp and ran back across the bedroom, before diving straight onto her bed. _Thump!_ she landed, face pressed to the blankets, four limbs splayed. She closed her eyes and feigned sleep, mimicking deep breathing, her actions done not a second too soon, for the door opened.

Someone walked in, the footsteps light. A pause.

"I can tell that you aren't asleep, dear." It was a woman's voice, and Kyra could hear her smile.

She bit her lip, feeling the flush creeping up her cheeks. Sheepishly she got up, running her fingers through her hair.

The woman that stood before Kyra was regal and elegant in her posture. Her golden curls were tied up in a low ponytail, slung over her left shoulder. She had on a stunning long-sleeved gown, sequinned in places with silver beads.

With a benevolent smile she sat at the edge of the bed. She was looking so immaculate that Kyra had the desire to duck into the bathroom and maybe spend half an hour on her appearance before she could finally deem herself worthy of talking to her.

"You must be the Midgard mortal that has been taking care of Loki for these four days. Thank you very much for that."

Kyra smiled, an awkward one.

"You must have so many questions. Well, ask away. I'll try my best to answer."

There was one question that was at the very forefront of Kyra's mind, and she asked that.

"Where's Loki?" And then she realized that wasn't enough, so she followed it up with - "Is he okay? Is he hurt? He ... wasn't himself."

A little smile tugged at the corners of the woman's lips. "What a coincidence," she murmured under her breath. "That was the first question he asked too."

She cleared her throat. "Loki is under observation. His condition has stabilized, and we have the best healers watching over him. You have no need to worry."

The big stone on Kyra's chest lifted a little. "But what happened? Why did he - "

The woman shifted to a more comfortable position. There was a brief flash of worry in her eyes and Kyra wondered what exactly was her relationship with the God of Mischief.

"Do you know of Loki's story?" she asked.

Kyra thought. "Well, I've only heard the myths and legends ... and I've seen the movies. He's not Odin's biological son, is he? He's the child of a Frost Giant. Odin adopted him. That's about all I know really. I didn't - well, I didn't expect all that stuff to be _real_ , so I brushed it off as just another story and didn't really care much."

The woman didn't seem offended. Instead she merely nodded.

"What you have heard is correct. There was a war on Jotunheim, the home of the Frost Giants. A war between the giants and the Asgardians. In the aftermath of the war, the King of Asgard went into the Temple and saw a baby. Abandoned and suffering. He picked him up and adopted him as his stepson. That baby grew up to be the Loki you know.

"As for Loki's condition - I believe Midgard soldiers suffer the same way? Post-traumatic stress disorder is the term you use."

Kyra nodded; she had heard of this. "Trauma _?_ From what?"

The woman paused. Her voice turned soft, and there was an undercurrent of sadness.

"From the war. Imagine, a six-month-old baby left alone in a temple, in the cold and darkness, with not a single comforting soul nearby. Without a mother, without a father, abandoned to the world. Forced to hear the battle raging outside, to hear the screams of death and the sound of blood being shed. _A six-month-old baby._ "

There was a flash of anger and outrage in her voice. Although Kyra couldn't see her well, she had a feeling that this was a woman of steel, steel that could melt with warmth but also stand its ground in times of need.

"But why only now? The war must have been years ago."

"One thousand and forty-eight years ago to be exact," the lady replied. Kyra's eyes widened. "And yes, you are right, for any mortal the trauma would have started since young and faded by the time adulthood came around.

"But Loki is no mortal. Magic runs in his veins, and when the magic is amplified, trained and strengthened, it serves to do only one purpose - to protect and obey its wielder. His mind could not - and perhaps, _would not_ \- accept the pain of the war, the pain of abandonment, so the magic came in to help. It detected the painful memories in Loki's mind, and built a barrier to protect him from it. That is why he cannot remember anything from the war, and why Odin's revelation of his identity came as such a shock.

"Now that he is on Midgard however, and deprived of his magic, the barrier has come down. The memories are returning, all at once. Anything he sees or hears will serve as a trigger, and a flashback will occur. The sound of steel upon steel might remind him of weapons clashing during the war, a scream might bring him back to the past. The memories, unleashed for the first time in a thousand years, will remain as vivid and real as they were before, and he might get so lost in it that he cannot distinguish between the scenes in his mind and the scenes in reality. He will have to take utmost caution."

The woman's eyes rested meaningfully on Kyra's injuries.

Kyra went quiet. "Does he - mind it very much? Being adopted?" There was a strange catch in her voice that made the woman look at her sharply.

"He sees himself as an outsider in the family. Already his looks do not resemble his brother Thor and Odin. His physical prowess too, is not compatible to that of theirs. Add on the fact that he cannot fit in with the rest of the Asgardian warriors - while they test their brute strength on the training grounds, he locks himself away in the library perusing books. He sees _us_ as being against _him_ , but in reality it is _him_ that is against _us_."

"Can I see him? Loki?"

The woman hesitated. "That - might be a rather difficult task. Loki is a criminal after all, and Herrick - our palace head guard - will not take kindly to him having visitors. And Loki himself ... well. You will soon see for yourself."

"But you're not saying no?" Kyra persisted.

The woman smiled. "No. I am not saying no. We can try. But first, let us get you into a dress."

They got up, and as they moved across the bedroom it occurred to Kyra for the first time to ask where she was.

"You are in Asgard, of course," the woman replied. "Heimdall - that is the Bridgekeeper - has eyes all over the Nine Realms and saw what was happening. He informed Odin, and he had warriors go down to Midgard to transport the two of you back here."

Kyra gaped. _Asgard. THE Asgard._

 _Loki's home._ Jesus.

She managed to regain some of her senses enough to remember that it was rather impolite of her not to enquire for the woman's name. So she asked.

"My name?" The woman's eyes sparkled, twinkling in a manner Kyra found very familiar.

"I am Frigga, wife of Odin, Queen of Asgard, and the mother to both Thor and Loki."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kyra fidgeted. Apparently jeans and a blouse wasn't the dress code here in Asgard. The last time she had worn a dress - a _real_ dress, the kind one wore to formal evenings and sophisticated ball parties - had been on her university graduation night. And anyway, she had never worn anything like _this._

It was made of gorgeous purple satin and cinched at the waist by a trail of gold leaves. The sleeves hung low on both sides of her shoulders and covered the full length of her arms. The dress flowed like water down past her feet, clinging to the floor whenever she walked. It was a simple yet exquisite design.

She had mentioned her eyesight to Frigga too, and Frigga said she knew _just the thing for that._ Kyra had watched as she took out a vial of clear blue liquid, added droplets from other vials to it, before whispering a single, foreign word. The blue color of the liquid shrunk into itself until it became transparent.

Then Frigga had bid for her to tilt her head back and open her eyes wide, which she complied. Two drops, one for each eye, and a few blinks later - hey presto! It was as if she was had her glasses back on again.

"This should last you until midnight. Come find me when you have a need for this again."

It was late afternoon when Frigga came to take her out of her room. "The guard shift has changed and Herrick is off duty for the moment. This is our chance."

She led Kyra down a hallway, a flight of stairs, and more hallways. Soon, they had left the sunlight behind. The corridors grew lonelier and lonelier, and marble floors gave way to stone. The walls were furnished less and less, and a dank musty smell grew.

"Where are we going?" For some reason Kyra felt compelled to whisper.

Frigga glanced to her side, at Kyra. "The dungeons."

Kyra's footsteps slowed to a stop. Her eyebrows knitted together.

"He's sick - and you're keeping him in the _dungeons_?"

Two feet in front of her, Frigga stopped. She turned around.

"Loki is a criminal. The safety of the people of Asgard must be considered." Frigga's blue eyes locked onto hers. Her voice lowered a little in volume. "It was not my choice."

Kyra looked away. _A criminal?_

Odin had told her of course, so she knew. That Loki had done something wrong and had been sent to Earth to _repent for his sins._ But she had no idea what those sins were. And she hadn't really cared - after all his powers were gone and he was bounded to her, requiredto fulfill her bidding. Ergo, he couldn't harm her, so who cares?

But now she was beginning to see that there was more to him. That Loki might have done something more damaging than just a little mischief.

_A dungeon. A criminal._

Unconsciously her fingers went to her throat. She had looked into the mirror earlier, and could see the faint red marks encircling her neck.

Frigga's voice cut into her thoughts. "Come. The dungeon is just ahead."

She turned back around and started walking. Kyra hesitated a heartbeat - then followed.

Two guards stood sentry at the entrance, their spears making an X. When they saw Frigga they slammed a fist to their chests and bowed low, stepping aside. Frigga nodded in acknowledgement and glided down the stone steps into the dungeon. Kyra went in behind her, feeling apprehensive.

The Asgard dungeons were like nothing Kyra had ever seen. The cells were square and set into rocky walls. A large rectangular pane of glass was all that separated the observer from the prisoner. There was a gold border around the glass, and Frigga explained that it was imbued with magic, enhancing the strength of the glass, making it near invincible. Furniture in the cells were almost none, and any that were laid broken and thrown about. Each cell held two to three prisoners, sometimes more.

Hideous faces sneered and mocked at the passing queen and mortal. Kyra made the mistake of making eye contact, and the prisoner - a demented ogre - slammed into the glass and roared loudly at her, only a few inches away. Kyra have a little shriek and jumped. There were jeers and boos from the other cells.

Frigga slowed her steps so Kyra could walk side by side with her.

"They cannot harm you. The glass is strong enough to hold a dozen men battering at it from the other side. And even if they do escape, I will see to your protection."

Kyra swallowed down her fright and nodded. "Right. Thank you, Mrs Frigga."

Frigga's lips quirked upwards. " _Mrs Frigga._ No one has called me that before. I like it."

They reached a cell that was different from the rest. For one, it was a little bigger, and there was a proper table and chair in it, along with a chaise lounge and a simple but comfy bed. A small bookshelf stood in one corner.

Sitting near it, flicking the pages of a book with idle fingers, was Loki.

Kyra stared. He was looking considerably well for a man she last saw kneeling on the ground in anguish. His hair was slicked back, not a single strand out of place, and he was wearing the same outfit she had first saw him in, but without the cloak. His legs were stretched out before him, crossed over one another, and he seemed entirely absorbed in the book he was reading.

He looked up when Frigga came near.

"Ah. The Queen of Asgard. Come to pay me a visit. Such honor." Kyra had learned to get used to the dry sarcasm in Loki's voice, but this was something more. It sounded barbed somehow, cutting, and Kyra hesitated, suddenly feeling very unsure and uneasy. She had never heard this tone before.

Frigga looked at her son for a long moment. Finally she said, "I'm merely an escort. Your visitor is someone else."

She stepped aside, and Loki saw Kyra. Only Frigga's hawk-like eyes managed to catch the flicker of something in Loki's eyes.

"My my. Even Thor's - _girlfriend,_ I believe, is the Midgard term to use? - has not managed to set foot on Asgard. And yet, here you are. The mortal Kyra Pierce. You must make history!"

The words were spoken in a dry mocking tone. Kyra shrank a little. She was confused now, was this Loki? It was as if he had turned into someone else overnight.

"I will leave you two in privacy," Frigga said. "Kyra dear, come find me when you have finished."

She swept away back toward the dungeon entrance, past the cells. When she reached the stone steps, she looked back. She could not see Kyra from here, but she could imagine her standing in front of the cells, with leering monsters behind her and a stranger in front. For a moment she hesitated, wondering if she had made a wise decision by leaving her alone.

But she had a feeling about this mortal. A feeling that was slowly growing into certainty.

She thought back to the moment when she had been sitting on Kyra's bed, when she had first spoken to her.

_"You must have so many questions. Well, ask away. I'll try my best to answer."_

_The mortal didn't even hesitate._ _"Where's Loki? Is he okay? Is he hurt? He wasn't himself."_

And then, when she had treated Loki in the dungeons. When Loki was raving and tossing and turning in hallucinations and delirium. There had been that one moment, that one moment of clarity, when he had locked eyes on his mother and really saw her, that one moment when he had returned back from his tortured mind to reality.

And what was the first thing he had said?

_"The mortal. The girl. Where is she? Is she alright? Is she hurt? I - I might have harmed her."_

Frigga looked back one more time, before ascending the steps and out to the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if you guys noticed but my last update was early LOL quarantine got me messing up dates and times
> 
> hopefully now i'm back on trackk


	13. Of Masks & Malice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hold onto your hearts, everyone

" **I** will leave you two in privacy," Frigga said. "Kyra dear, come find me when you have finished."

_Frigga was leaving? But -_

The Queen shifted and stepped behind Kyra to take her leave. She paused for a moment and placed a hand on Kyra's shoulder.

"A side note to you," she murmured, her voice inaudible to Loki's ears. "Loki has taken some medicines that were infused with magic. So some of his powers have returned. Don't worry, he can't do much - just small little tricks. Illusions. I thought it prudent for you to know."

Kyra nodded, a thought drifting into her head.

Frigga's voice saying - _Don't worry, he can't do much with his powers._ And Odin's - _Fear not,_ _his powers have been stripped entirely and he is but a mere human now._

Was Loki - the _real_ Loki, the one with all his powers, the Asgardian God - such a terrifying criminal? They made it sound as - as if he was a monster. A murderer. Was that what Loki's true form was?

Suddenly she wasn't quite sure that she wanted to be left alone with him. She looked back at where Frigga had disappeared to, half-hoping to see her silver gown peeking out from behind a corner.

Loki saw her looking.

"Why now. It seems as if our mortal is finally beginning to see just how foolhardy it would be to have me for company. Are you scared now? Do I make you tremble in fear? Do you need the Queen's protection? After all, I did almost kill you."

The voice was taunting, like sharp needles driving themselves into her skin. Kyra searched his green eyes. The playful twinkle there was gone, replaced by a sneering glint.

She swallowed. She had no idea what was going on. Why was he like this? Loki's jibes were usually dry humour, not - not _this._ This was spite.

She took a step closer to the glass, her voice a little more than a whisper.

"Loki. What's wrong? This - this isn't you."

Loki shrugged. "This _is_ me. Loki Laufeyson. This is who I am." He leaned in close to the glass. "Why? Am I disappointing you? Do you prefer your rich boyfriend Lancelot Vivaldi?"

" ... You know you're both the same person."

Loki made a loud, short sound that was equivalent to a buzzer indicating the wrong answer.

"This is why mortals are just so easily deceived. Your puny little minds and blind faith are beacons to tricksters, just begging to be swindled!"

Loki's voice became harsh and unforgiving.

"Do you think a god will allow himself to be degraded to the status of a mortal's lover? Even if it is just an act? Do you think a god will treat you simple mortals, you commonfolk, as _frie_ _nds?"_

A pause. The next barb bit deep.

"Most of all, _do you think a god will truly, willingly, associate himself with a lowly peasant girl that sits at the bottom of society's ladder?_ "

Kyra's eyes stung and her heart contorted.

"No! It was a false facade!" Loki's voice rose. "A mask I put on, to gain Odin's favour! A personality I faked, to get on your good side, to use you! So that you would help me complete my mission, and perhaps even put in a good word for me to Odin. All done, so I could return to Asgard, to retrieve back my powers."

Loki crouched down to eye level with Kyra, who averted her gaze, her eyes already beginning to shimmer.

"And then," he hissed, his voice deadly and low, "when I am once again made god, do you know what I will do? With my powers? Do you want to know, mortal? Do you want to hear of my glorious plans?"

Numbly, Kyra managed to shake her head - once, twice.

"Loki. _Stop._ Please." She looked up at him, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "This isn't you. This isn't - "

 _"This is me!"_ he roared, a thunderous yell that echoed around his cell and set the glass vibrating. _"L_ _oki, son of Laufey, the abandoned, the outsider, the unwanted child! I am the monster parents tell their children about at night!"_

His voice dipped back down to that sibilant whisper.

"And soon, I will be the monster Midgard parents talk about as well. Do you know why? Because no matter how changed Odin might see me be, I am not. I will never be changed. I cannot be changed!"

"Loki please, just stop -" The tears were flowing freely now.

But Loki was relentless. His words were like arrow after arrow, slung from a merciless crossbow, unstopping, unceasing.

"I seek world domination. I seek power! I was born to rule! Loki, the dictator! As for you dull mortals, well. It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you cravesubjugation. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you _will_ kneel before me. Because that is what I intend to do. To rule your world, along with the other realms. To be made king of you insipid Earthlings! That is the fate of your race. That is the fate of _you_ \- Kyra Pierce."

Kyra looked at Loki, the tears staining her cheeks, the fear painting her face. She was seeing him for the first time, seeing him for who he really was. The murderer, the criminal. 

The monster.

Loki met her eyes, unflinching, unmoving. He took a step near. Even though there was a barrier between them, even though Frigga had told her not to be afraid, Kyra still took a step back. The reaction was instinctive, done without her being aware of it.

But Loki saw it. With slow deliberation he took another step nearer, until his face was almost touching the glass.

And Kyra took yet another step back.

Loki smiled, a cold humorless smile.

"So the mortal has finally learned to be afraid. That is very wise indeed. Keep that fear, Kyra Pierce. It is the only tool that is keeping you alive. Harbor no delusions. For when I finally rule Midgard ... "

Loki's eyes hardened into chips of emeralds.

"You will be reduced to rabble just like everyone else. You will be but another mortal, destined to kneel before me."

His voice, a single freezing whisper.

"So run, mortal. _Run when you can_."

Kyra inhaled, a sharp shaky intake of breath. She held Loki's eyes for long seconds, and then she turned tail and ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ouch  
> This is the first time Kyra is really seeing the other, godlike side of Loki. Poor girl, it's too much to handle


	14. Of Prison & Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I didn't know that it was so cold  
> And you needed someone to show you the way  
> So I took your hand and we figured out that  
> When the time comes I'd take you away  
> If you want to I can save you
> 
> I can take you away from here  
> So lonely inside  
> So busy out there
> 
> And all you wanted was somebody who cared

**GONE**. She was gone.

She had left.

The tears she had shed. The fear in her eyes. The way she had stepped back, when he came near.

Loki eyed the corridor where she had retreated to for several long moments, gaze steady, face calm, eyes unblinking.

He stepped away from the glass and headed to the coffee table, where he picked up the book he had been reading. He sat back down in the corner, legs stretched out, and had just flipped to the page he last stopped when there came the sound of a constant humming.

Loki frowned. He knew that sound. Sure enough, the glass in front of him was vibrating and clouding over, until it became opaque. He felt the energy shield around the glass weaken at a constant rate, until it disappeared entirely. The glass then slid apart in two halves, and standing in front of his now opened prison cell was the mortal Kyra Pierce.

She held his gaze with an unwavering one of her own. The eyes still glistened wet, but her cheeks were dry. Her jaw was clenched, and her chin held high.

She strode up the stone steps and didn't even hesitate when putting a foot over the threshold and into the cell. Loki watched as she crossed over to where he sat and looked down at him. Loki merely tilted his gaze up.

Without looking, Kyra directed her words to the prison guard standing nearby.

"Close the door."

The guard hesitated. "Lady Kyra, that is a highly dangerous criminal - "

"I know," Kyra cut him off, still not looking, keeping her eyes on Loki only. "That's why I'm telling you to close the door. We don't want a highly dangerous criminal to escape now, do we?"

"But you'll be _alone_ with said highly dangerous criminal - "

"Oh, I think I can handle it."

The guard swallowed. "Just to clarify your order Lady Kyra, you wish for me to _lock you in a prison cell, alone with a highly dangerous criminal?_ "

Kyra rolled her eyes and whirled around on the guard. "Just close the damn door already!" she snapped, exasperated. "Or I'll - " She made a threatening gesture.

The guard bowed his head and gave a wave of his spear. The glass slid back, blending seamlessly into each other, and the energy shield sprung back to life.

Kyra gave an annoyed shake of her head. "Seriously," she muttered, "what part of _close the door_ did he not understand, it's not like I'll _sue_ him if I get hurt, I don't even think I have the money to get a lawyer - "

She met Loki's eyes and her words halted. Loki said nothing, his face devoid of any expression. Looking sideways, she ran her fingers awkwardly through her hair, her eyes glancing here and there, uncertain. Still Loki remained silent, as if he had morphed into a block of wood.

Sighing, Kyra looked back at him. She was biting her lip, the worry making its presence clear on her face. There were traces of hurt there too, from what he had said, and the slightest shadow of what might or might not have been fear. But underlying it all, shining through all these other emotions, was resolution. Determination.

"Loki, I - " She stopped. The lump in her throat had returned. Her voice trembled. "I heard everything from Frigga. About your memories coming back, and giving you a hard time. And I - I know you're hurting. And the stuff you said - "

Her words caught in her throat and her eyes welled up yet again. She crouched down until she could stare directly into his unfeeling green eyes.

"I want to help you," she whispered. "I don't know what's going on, I don't know the whole story, but I _do_ know that this isn't you. You're teasing and mocking, but you're never mean. _Never_. And I just want to help you. _Please?_ "

And still Loki said nothing.

She raised a hand up, slow and shaking, unsure, reaching out to touch his face. And the moment her fingertips made contact with skin, there was a ripple that enfolded outwards, sweeping the entire cell.

The illusion broke.

Kyra's eyes widened as they took in the real state of the cell that had been hidden with what little magic Loki had regained. She saw the pristine furniture, now upturned and broken and scattered around; the bed, thrown to the opposite wall and its stuffing spilling out of gaping holes. Lastly her eyes returned to Loki, whose clothing was torn in several places, whose obsidian black hair was an unkempt mess, whose foot was bleeding and leaving dark trails across the floor. His green eyes held no arrogance nor spite, but instead were hollow and empty, numb to the world.

Loki cracked a wan smile, not meeting Kyra's eyes. She saw that his lip was cut.

"Whoops. Busted." His voice was dry and hoarse, barely there.

"Oh Loki." She took his face gently between two palms of her hands, the tears in her eyes mirroring that in his.

"I keep hearing her," Loki whispered, after a pause. "I can't see her, but I keep hearing her. Screaming, yelling, begging, pleading for them not to take her son away. Her voice, it keeps ringing in my ears, over and over and over and I ... _I keep hearing her_."

He looked up at Kyra. "And I can still remember. What it felt like. Me - strangling you. But I didn't know it was you, I thought it was Kolga, Kolga pulling me - the son - away ... I didn't mean to hurt you I swear, I didn't know it was you, really - "

 _He sounded so broken._ "It's okay. It's okay - I know. I'm fine. You're going to be fine," she soothed, her voice almost breaking herself.

"No it's not. It's not fine." Loki 's voice became a little more urgent and his left hand came up to grasp Kyra's. " _I can do this again._ This can happen _again._ A second time; maybe a third, a fourth, a fifth. And maybe next time I won't be able to come back. The memories can take over any minute and I'll - you -"

"You're strong. You can do this. _We_ can do this," Kyra insisted. "I'll help you, remember? You're bounded to me."

Loki shook his head, shifting his eyes away. "The risk - "

"Is worth taking. Look at me. Loki, look at me." She nudged his head up and he didn't resist. "I'm not giving up on you, okay? I'm not giving up on my genie, my ... boyfriend. I'm not giving up. So you can't, alright? You hold on. You fight it. You're Loki, the God of Asgard! You can do this. Okay?"

He didn't say a word. His green eyes looked so lost, like those of a little child's. Something inside of Kyra twisted. She touched her forehead to his, and closed her eyes.

"I wish I knew how to help," she whispered, half to herself, hating how she had no idea what to do.

His breath, with that peppermint scent, brushed the tip of her nose as he murmured back,

"You're already helping. Plenty."

They sat there for long minutes, both with their eyelids closed, just taking in each other's presence. The other prisoners vanished, they were no longer in an Asgardian dungeon, the world disappeared. It was just them and themselves, with no one else.

Loki's hands reached up to hold Kyra's, and the warmth he felt didn't come only from there, it also blossomed somewhere deep in himself, near his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song fits so well uhuk my hearteu


	15. Of Legends & Love

**THE** rest of the afternoon Kyra spent exploring the castle. Frigga had last-minute court matters to attend to, so the meeting was pushed to later that evening. 

The Asgardian warriors had kindly took along her shoulder bag that fell to the ground, and in it she found her smartphone. As she wandered through the vast grounds, she was blown away by the structures and the design. Her smartphone clicked away incessantly as she took photo after photo - discreetly of course.

_Imagine the articles I could write with this! Front page headlines, I bet!_

She returned to her bedroom and found out that lunch had been laid out. She eyed the tray warily. _It can't really be cabbages and bread only, surely ..._ To her relief she found a plate of meat and gravy, along with green peas and carrots. There was a small bowl of what looked like grapes but were bright orange. Kyra hesitantly tasted one. It was like a cross between peach and apple. She decided she rather liked it. 

She took a shower in the bathroom - which had a simply _colossal_ marble bath tub that she could have done laps in it if she wanted - and wrapped herself in a bathrobe. She was looking around for the purple dress when she realized that it had been taken away, replaced by the one that was lying on her bed.

The new dress was so magnificent and exquisite that Kyra doubted if it was really hers. There was a knock, and two court ladies entered, curtsied and explained that they were sent from Frigga to make sure that Lady Kyra would be ready for the ball tonight. The words "What ball?" hadn't even left her mouth before she was escorted away for an Asgardian makeover. 

Now Kyra stood before the mirror, adjusting the hemline of her new dress. Perhaps it was a bit vain of her, but she couldn't stop staring at herself in the mirror. _Dang, these people could come to Earth and work as Hollywood stylists!_

There was a knock on the door. Frigga peeked a head in. She had changed too, and was now wearing a butter gold long dress with a gorgeous flowing cape. _The Asgardians must like sequins very much,_ Kyra thought, as she looked from her dress to Frigga's. Both were beaded with small white things that reminded her of crystals. 

"The dress looks wonderful on you, dear! Here let me help you with that."

As Frigga helped, Kyra asked what the occasion was.

"Ah! That is what I wanted to talk to you about. It's the Elska Ball tonight. On this day, centuries ago," Frigga explained, "the great god Bor, Lord of Asgard, met his wife, Bestla. It was love at first sight, and they soon got married a year later, also on this date. Their union was one that transcended space and time; their love so strong it resonated across generations of Asgardians. Hence we have always treated this day as a special date for love - the Asgard equivalent for Valentine's Day, so to speak."

Frigga stood up and took a step back, her keen eye running across the dress. She nodded in approval and continued.

"There is also a well-spoken legend about the Elska Ball. It is said that the couple that kisses at the stroke of midnight, when the Asgard moons shine the brightest, are blessed by the gods and fated to be with each other, to love and be loved for all eternity."

Frigga gave a wink. "Of course, these are old wives' tales. For most of us this is but yet another opportunity to drink merry and celebrate. However, it can be rather embarrassing for one to show up without a date, so I was wondering if you would like me to pick one for you? I know of quite a few eligible bachelors, sons of noblemen."

Kyra blinked, unsure of how to respond. Frigga laughed.

"Oh don't worry dear! It's but another festival! Most of those who attend aren't even lovers themselves, they come just to have fun. I'll find a nice handsome man for you, don't you worry."

_It would be rather boring to be by myself wouldn't it? Not to mention awkward. I'm already standing out enough as it is._

"Oh well. Okay then. Thank you Mrs Frigga."

"You're very welcomed dear. Now let's get you some shoes......"

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

Herrick marched down the stone steps and down the corridors of the dungeon. He ignored the prisoners in the cell, who all snarled, growled and hissed venomously as he strode past, the hatred flashing in their eyes. He had gotten quite used to it by now. He was the man responsible for putting half of them in there, and the threats and curses he had heard over the years flew right over his head.

He reached one particular cell and slowed. With a rather lazy gait he walked up to the glass and tapped it with his spear.

"And over here, we have the criminal in its natural habitat. What a marvelous sight!"

Loki looked up from the book he was reading. The mattress, table, chair and lounge sat in their rightful places in the cell, upright and proper. The books were all arranged nicely on the bookshelf, who was no longer lying on its side. One might be tempted to believe that Loki was up to another of his illusions, but a closer look revealed that the leg of the chair was crooked, as if it had been recently fixed, and the holes in the mattress had been patched up. The cut on his lip too remained, and his left foot was bandaged.

Loki eyed the palace guard and mimicked him right back.

"And over here, we have the obnoxious palace guard, who too is in his natural habitat underground. And I must say, unlike the criminal, he is _rather_ the ugly sight."

There were heckles of scorn from the other cells. Herrick's smirk vanished pretty quickly. Loki shot him a smug smile, returning to his book.

Herrick's jaw clenched. "I heard you had a visitor today. The Queen I believe. Bringing along the mortal Kyra Pierce." His voice took on a sneer. "And my my, the two of you even had a very _touching_ reunion. Is the great god Loki associating himself with the 'lowly' mortals now?"

Loki smiled pleasantly and flipped a page. "That is the whole aim of my exile, is it not? So that I would get over my biased prejudices and misguided views on Midgard. And I do believe it's coming along very well!" Here he looked up at Herrick. "Why, soon there might come a time when you'll see me wandering as a free man down the palace hallways!"

Herrick narrowed his eyes. "Oh really? I doubt I'll be seeing you much though. I have a feeling that like your brother, you'll be hopping down to Midgard more than once in awhile. If you know what I mean."

Loki closed the book. "I'm afraid not, Herrick. The words you speak are usually so senseless that I'd long stopped listening to them."

"Is that so? Let me elucidate then." Herrick moved closer to the glass, his voice a taunting whisper. "Kyra Pierce means more to you than just another mortal, does she not?"

Loki's green eyes didn't even flicker. "Are you insinuating something, Herrick? You're rather bad at subtleties, so why don't you just come out and say it? Don't worry, I've gotten quite used to your fantastical and far-fetched theories."

Herrick laughed, a nasty sound. "Far-fetched? Hardly. With the world you are a cold heartless criminal, but with that mortal you act as if you are human. Do not presume to lie to me, prisoner. I am not the only one that has bear witness to this fact. Is that not why the Queen brought her down to the dungeons in the first place? To crumble your walls and get through to you?"

Loki shrugged. "If you say so." His tone was the embodiment of careless nonchalance, and it annoyed Herrick that he wasn't getting the reaction he was after.

Without warning he changed the topic of conversation.

"Do you know what day it is today?"

"Not at all," Loki replied cheerfully, "but I have a feeling you're about to tell me."

"It's the Elska Ball tonight. The Festival of Love."

"Ahh. No wonder you're excited. Still single aren't you?" Loki gave him a casual once-over. "I'd advise you not to hold out much hope though. It just makes for a nasty fall. Sometimes I _really_ worry about you, you know. Honest truth. I fear one day you might not be able to pick yourself up from the endless slew of rejections."

"Oh it's not me you should be worry about!" There was something in his laughter that set Loki's senses tingling. "You should be more concerned with your mortal _friend._ She's going, you see. And she has a _date_. A well-mannered gentleman from a noble family, one that has been personally handpicked by the _Queen herself._ "

Loki's voice was still as light as ever. "I see. And you know all of this because you've been sneaking around and poking your nose into other people's business, I presume?" 

"Hardly." Herrick stood a little straighter and the smile he wore was one of a cobra's. 

"I know all of this because _I,_ am Kyra Pierce's date."

And for the briefest of seconds, Loki's eyes flickered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mHmHHRhrmMH do I detect some jEAlOusY
> 
> how the turn doth tables


	16. Of Kings & Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fuck butterflies,  
> I feel the whole zoo when I'm with you

**KYRA** watched as pair after pair glided into the palace's grand hall, arm-in-arm, talking and laughing. She bit her lip, anxious. Frigga had told her who her date was - Herrick Geir, the palace guard that wasn't on very friendly terms with Loki. He was to meet her near the entrance of the hall, where they would enter together.

Well, she had been waiting for near fifteen minutes now, and still there was no sign of him. It was rather embarrassing, and there were already more than a few curious stares directed her way. She heard whispers too, a snippet here and there, and she knew they could tell that she was mortal. She had no idea how; from what she had seen the Asgardians' physical features were very much similar to those from Earth, except that they were a bit taller. Maybe she wasn't giving off some invisible magical aura thingy-thingy.

Kyra craned her neck and tiptoed. _Jesus, these heels are killing me!_ She teetered dangerously for awhile before setting her toes back onto the ground.

_Where is that guy?_

* * * * * * * * * * * *

He could see her from afar. Frigga's touch was clear and present on her - from the hair, wavy and flowing down one shoulder, to the dangling earrings sparkling from her ears, to the black open-toed heels peeking out from beneath the hemline of the dress. And of course, there was the dress itself, a stunning red halter-neck masterpiece, the front ruched into stylish folds and pinned in place with a brooch. Sequins had always been Frigga's favourite, and they were dashed randomly across the cloth, so the light caught no matter how she turned.

He smiled, and adjusted the collar of his black overcoat. Tucking a hand into the pocket of his black dress pants he walked forward, headed for her.

Kyra looked through the hall's double doors. _Man, there sure are a lot of people here._ She watched the crowd for a moment, taking it all in. The women dressed mostly the same as her, except that quite a few had strange markings and extra embellishments.

There was a light cough at her shoulder and she turned.

Standing before her, with that already-so-familiar twinkle in his eyes, was Loki.

She gaped.

"Surprise." The smugness in his voice was evident.

"Loki! But - how ... what are you doing here?"

Loki spread out his arms, and feigned hurt. "But of course. I'm your date for the ball."

Kyra's eyes goggled. " _You?_ But Frigga told me it was Herrick - " She paused and her eyes narrowed. " _Loki._ Tell me you _didn't._ "

Loki's eyes went wide, all innocence. "Didn't what?"

"You did something to Herrick, didn't you? That's why he's late! And you busted yourself out of the dungeon - ! You're in such big trouble! How did you even get all the way here without being seen?"

Instead of answering, Loki placed an arm around her waist and steered her towards the hall entrance. The guard there didn't even look at Loki but simply waved them through. Kyra's jaw fell.

"How ... " she breathed. "Oh my god. _You brainwashed them, didn't you?_ "

Loki chuckled. "Take a look in the mirror," he said as they passed by the pane of glass.

She looked. Instead of standing next to Loki like how she really was, she was being escorted by a tall, fair-haired stranger. The man in the glass looked so different - for one, the hair was near blonde and much shorter, while the jaw was more pronounced. His eyes were blue and he looked bulkier than Loki.

The clothing was different too. The stranger was dressed like a noble prince, while Loki was in a white shirt and black tie.

"Another illusion?" Kyra guessed.

"Correct. Only you can see who I really am. You should be honored," he added teasingly.

They entered the hall and for a minute Kyra's attention was successfully diverted to her surroundings. It was a very lavish event, with soft music tinkling in the background. Round tables were scattered across the hall, with a large space cleared in front of the throne for the dancing later on. Just below the dias a quartet of musicians were playing. Kyra stared at the drummer, who might or might not be changing his skin color at will.

"But what did you do to Herrick?" she asked, turning her attention back to him.

Loki pulled out a chair at a nearby table and motioned for her to sit down. She sat, and he pushed her chair in.

"What makes you think I did something to Herrick?" he asked as he too took a seat. "He might just be late. Maybe he overslept. It happens you know. Or maybe he got lost. Asgard's rather big and hard to navigate."

Kyra wanted to press for more answers, but then the food came. The smell alone was enough to set her stomach growling.

There were four couples at the table, including Kyra and Loki. Two of the couples seemed to know each other very well and chattered non-stop. The third pair was obviously too besotted with one another to care about anyone else. This left Kyra and Loki alone with themselves, which suited Kyra perfectly fine.

Although the dishes were less modern and more to the Middle Ages, they were no less delicious. She was surprised at how hungry she felt. There were so many kinds of food she had never seen before that she was quite determined to try them all. Loki watched amused as she went for thirds. As for himself, he had half a mind to order the kitchen to cook him some churros. Not that they would even know what it was.

Kyra swallowed a bite of venison. Leaning close, she whispered gently,

"Are you okay?"

Their time in the dungeon had ended unceremoniously with the guard running in, panicking that something had happened as the mortal had been in there for so long without coming out. Even though Kyra tried to explain that the furniture had been destroyed _before_ she came in, and that the blood on the floor _really wasn't hers_ , the guard was adamant that she leave immediately.

Now, Loki looked into her eyes. They held nothing but tender worry for him. For a long moment he said nothing and she thought he wouldn't answer. But then he said quietly,

"Yes. More than what I expected." There was something about his words that set the butterflies kicking in her stomach.

She managed to smile and lowered her eyes back to the plate in front of her. She could feel the scarlet flush creeping up her cheeks.

"Um. I'm going to the washroom. Be right back."

In the toilet cubicle, she let out a long, drawn exhalation of breath. In her mind she could still see it, the green eyes and black hair and dashing profile ... she shook her head.

 _Focus, Kyra. Focus_.

She stood up. It was quite a relief that Asgard had proper toilets and sewage disposal systems. She was just flushing when she heard the sound of walking heels outside. They sounded as if they belonged to more than one person. She was unlocking the cubicle door to leave when -

"Did you see that girl at my table? The one in that gaudy red dress?" Kyra recognized the voice. It belonged to the lady sitting next to her at dinner. "Well she's a mortal. _From Midgard_."

"She's a _mortal_? Well that makes sense. Did you see her stuffing herself with food? Such an ungainly sight! Reminds me of starved swine at feeding times."

"Well, what can you expect from a mortal? It would be of no wonder if she lives in the same manner as swine do. Mortals are such inferior little things, are they not? Personally I think the King and Queen are too kind towards them."

"It's clear that she's one with not much status. She's probably a serf back in Midgard. A lowly maid perhaps? Or one of the Midgard King's harem. She looks as if she could pass for a whore."

There were giggles, and the sound of heels retreating away.

When Kyra came back to the table, Loki could tell that something was wrong.

Her face was pale and her eyes a little red; her nose too. She sat down and proceeded to shrink into herself, keeping her eyes off the table and on her lap, just like her hands.

"Are you alright?" She didn't even hear. Loki repeated the question, this time placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Huh? Yes. Yes, I'm - fine." Loki saw the way her eyes flicked a little too quickly to the lady sitting beside her, before dropping down back to her lap. He saw too, the contemptuous glance sideways by the other lady, who then murmured something to her friends. The four of them burst out in raucous laughter and Kyra shrank even further.

As if understanding something, he leaned back in his chair. Tapped out a rhythm on the table. Waited.

The main courses were cleared away and the dessert brought in. Loki popped a fruit into his mouth. Beside him, Kyra had clammed up and looked as if she had lost her appetite.

The other lady raised her wine to her lips. She wasn't looking, busily engaged in conversation.

Loki's eyes twinkled.

The lady went for a sip and looked down into her goblet. Her eyes widened.

A mass of worms was wriggling out of it and all over her hands. She let out a piercing scream and stood up, her arms flailing. Loki's eyes twinkled again and suddenly her heel caught at the leg of the chair. She fell spectacularly, landing with a vicious thud on her rear end, just as her goblet, thrown into the air, completed its graceful somersault and rained down its contents on her.

The lady shrieked, her eyes squeezed shut as she tore at her bodice.

"Get these worms off of me! Get them off me!"

It took half a minute for her companions to calm her down. When she opened her eyes, it was to see that a crowd had gathered around a mad woman screaming bloody murder at _nothing_ , for not a single worm was in sight, and the only thing on her dress was the dark red stains of wine.

"But I saw it! I swear! My glass was full of - of worms! They were there! They were right there!"

"Ayra darling, there _were_ no worms. Perhaps you have had too much wine ... "

Kyra watched the scene unfold in astonishment. Beside her Loki was making tsk tsk sounds of sympathy.

"Drunkenness is such a _terrible_ thing. It makes for ludicrous actions and _very_ mortifying memories."

Kyra looked at him. Then at the lady. Then back at him.

" _Loki._ Did you just - "

The music, which had stopped at dinner, started up again. Loki brightened.

"Come! It is time for the dance!"

He pulled Kyra out to the middle of the floor but she kept glancing back at the woman.

"That was you wasn't it?" she asked firmly.

"Really, all this suspicion is rather unbecoming of you - and hurtful! Do you have such little trust in me?" He twirled her and leaned in close to her ear. "But yes, it _was_ me."

"I knew it!" she hissed. "Why did you do that for?"

They moved a few steps to the right.

"She upsetted you. I could tell at a glance. You cried again didn't you? Tsk tsk. That makes for two times today. _S_ _uch_ a sensitive soul."

...... _He did it for me?_ Kyra felt her pulse accelerated. Outside she merely said,

"You don't even know how and what she did."

"She did _something_. That's all I need to know." His tone was suddenly serious, and Kyra's heartbeat rate doubled.

Clearing her throat she asked, "And Herrick?"

"Ah. I might have locked him in my cell."

" _You what?"_

"You see the lengths I go to to become your date? You should be - "

"Honored," Kyra finished. "Yep, I know. I am _so_ honored that you busted out of your cell, locked up the palace guard and frightened an innocent lady out of her wits, all for me."

"I beg to differ. She is anything but _innocent_. She was rubbing legs with her male companion under the table. See? Even you laugh!"

They slow danced for a few more minutes across the hall floor. On an impulse, Kyra laid her head on his shoulder. The arm around her waist encircled tighter and pulled her close.

"I have a question," she said after a moment. "When were you going to tell me that you're _one thousand and forty eight years old?_ "

Loki laughed. His mouth was near her ear, so everytime he spoke she could feel his peppermint touch caressing her skin.

"Oh, about the same time you tell me what exactly does ' _you are not my type_ ' means. I'm guessing it to be an insult."

Kyra bit back her laughter and said nothing.

"No response? I must be right then."

They danced, graceful and easy. Kyra watched the couples around them.

"Why aren't you dressed like the others?" she asked. "The men are all looking like Prince Charming with their doublets and boots and gold-designed pants, while you have" - here she gave it a tug - " _a patterned scarf_. And those are the dress pants I bought you aren't they? How on earth - "

"I have my ways," Loki said as he gave her another twirl. "The bridge isn't the only way to leave Asgard. I discovered another entrance quite some time ago. As for my look, well, a couple should complement in each other in what they wear, should they not?" He took a step away and gestured wide with both his hands. "Do I not look like a mortal? And to think, I picked out all these without your help."

"Wow," said Kyra sarcastically as he took her hand back in his. "You must be so proud of yourself."

"Oh but I am. Very."

The next five minutes fell away into silence. Kyra's head was back on Loki's shoulder. His arm felt protective around her waist and she did a little giddy hop of happiness inside.

"People are staring at us," she said, voice soft. "Is it really that obvious that I'm a mortal?"

Loki's reply came as a whispering murmur in her ears.

"Or it could be because you look exceptionally beautiful tonight."

Kyra had a feeling her face was aflamed. After a minute or two she pulled her head away from his shoulder and lifted her eyes to his. Their footsteps halted as they stood dead centre in the hall, their attention all on each other, two statues surrounded by a dozen waltzing couples.

She swallowed. She was feeling reckless. Perhaps she shouldn't have drunk too much wine.

Well, it was too late now.

"Since they're staring, we should probably give them a good show shouldn't we? And I still owe you one."

Without waiting for his reply she took one step close and kissed him on the lips.

The kiss lasted for all of five seconds before she pulled away. She didn't dare look him in the eyes but a quick peek was enough to show that he was standing there motionless, almost expressionless.

"Right. So." _What on earth did I just do?_ "Um, I'm just going to head back to the table, give my legs a rest you know ... "

She was already turning around and walking halfway through her sentence, when a masculine arm whipped out and pulled her back. In a flash she was back in Loki's embrace, her arms pressed against his chest.

Kyra stared into those striking green eyes and felt her hearbeat quicken.

"Do you think anyone will believe that?" His voice was a husky growl that sent tingly sparks up her spine. "If you want to put on a show, you make it good."

He leaned in, and the world spun down into a dizzying vortex, until all Kyra knew and felt was Loki and Loki's touch. Dimly she was aware of a new sound in the background, the sound of palace bells chiming, signaling - midnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THEY DID IT-


	17. Of Ships & Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fluff / sweetness overload ahead, you have been warned

**THE** kiss on the forehead had been soft, gentle.

Unlike this.

Although he didn't exactly mashed his lips on hers, it was no light touch. It started out one-sided at first, as Kyra was too dazed to respond. Then she started kissing him back, and Loki's arm came up to hold her neck, just beneath her ear.

The kiss deepened, intensified, and just about set all of her nerves on fire. They were kissing _kissing_ , and for the second time that day the world disappeared.

He pulled her even closer and her hands came up to cup both sides of his face. Loki could feel the strands of her russet brown hair against his fingers. His thumb stroked the nape of her neck and she shivered.

They broke for air, but their foreheads still touched. For once Loki had no witty reply in store.

"Well this sucks," Kyra finally muttered. "Now your mum thinks I'm so desperate that I'm kissing any random Asgardian dude that I just met."

Loki let out a breathy chuckle.

"You _are_ desperate. You claimed me as your lover within the first ten minutes of meeting me remember?"

"That's different - "

She didn't get to finish, because just then a loud commotion arose.

"That is Loki, the criminal!"

"The criminal is here at the Elska Ball!"

"Capture him at once!"

Eyes wide opened now, Kyra looked around as everyone in the hall began shouting and pointing accusatory fingers at Loki.

He looked down at himself. "Oops, I think that my illusion might have been broken."

"Why did you let your illusion break?" Kyra hissed as several guards advanced threateningly.

His green eyes looked deep into hers as he replied simply and honestly,

"I was distracted."

Kyra felt herself flush. _Heart skipped a beat._

"I do believe it is high time we take our leave." He grabbed hold of her hand. "Let's go!"

They ran out of the hall together, Kyra's free hand bunching her skirts up so she could run better. They made their way out through the double doors and stopped long enough for Kyra to take off her heels. They ran on down the streets, Loki's long overcoat streaming out behind.

"Here!" Loki urged. They ducked into an alley and ran down it.

"Why are we heading back to the palace?" Kyra gasped.

"It is the last place they will expect. And I have a perfect getaway plan!"

They ran back, and ducked behind a wall as a line of Einherjar trooped past. Carefully they inched along the wall until they came to a side door.

"Wait." Loki's eyebrows furrowed for a second, and Kyra felt the magic rippled out.

"How do I look?"

Kyra burst into laughter, which she hurriedly shushed. Loki grinned, and she giggled.

He had constructed for himself a very accurate image of Tom Hiddleston.

Loki's eyes glanced upwards. "I think I might get used to this golden-haired look. I see why Thor fancies it."

They entered the little door in the way and walked down a stone corridor. The guard at the end directed his spear at them as they neared.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

As they walked closer Loki leaned down to murmur in Kyra's ears.

"Do you remember the golden haired maiden that I have no intention of courting?"

"Sherria. Yes. Why?"

"I want you to act like her. A spoiled princess. _Without_ the flirting. Can you do it?"

"Well ... I guess," Kyra said dubiously.

"Good! Action!"

They reached the guard and Loki stepped forward. "I am Fenrir, brother of Herrick Geir. With me is the esteemed and honourable Kyra Pierce - the beloved daughter of King Richard and Crown Princess of Midgard."

_Crown Princess of what?_

The guard was staring at her, and her mind scrambled wildly for something to say.

_What would Sherria do?_

Well - that was easy.

She flipped her hair as outrageously as she could and tried not to wince as the ends of it slapped the side of the guard's helmet, who blinked rapidly. Next she fluttered her eyelashes.

The guard stared at her, then at Loki, looking utterly lost.

"Her Highness has been specifically invited by Her Royal Majesty Queen Frigga to the Elska Ball as a sign of friendship between both Midgard and Asgard." _Damn, was he a smooth liar._ "As head of the guards, Herrick has been entrusted with palace duties at the ball. Therefore it falls on me to show our guest around Asgard, a duty I very gladly accepted. To better show her the beauty of our realm, I have decided to take Princess Kyra on a trip through the night skies. What better way is there to explore Asgard, don't you agree?"

The guard hesitated. "I have heard of no such news, nor received no such orders."

Loki shrugged carelessly. "It is an impromptu visit, one arranged mere hours before the ball began. But I understand your concerns. By all means, do take your time to verify this with the Queen. Only, I fear that she will not take kindly to being interrupted, especially since last I saw of her she was dancing with the King."

Kyra could almost see the guard weighing his options. On one hand, these were strangers asking for admission. On the other hand, this was apparently an imperial order.

She felt Loki nudged her, though he kept his face to the front.

Clearing her throat, she imitated Sherria the best she could.

_Nasally whiny voice, childish pouting ..._

"Oh my gosh, _seriously?_ Like, I have to wait here, while _he_ runs off? Like, how long is that going to take? Cos I have to get back to Midgard, like, in half an hour, for a super duper ultra important _meetin_ g, with my ... manicurist, for some _seriously important_ issues, about the future of all Midgardians, in regards to ... acrylic gels and tip overlays ..."

_I'm totally spamming._

Loki made a sympathetic noise. "Truly, you are _such_ a busy person Princess Kyra. If we enter now the tour could finish in time, but if we wait for verification I'm afraid I will have to disappoint ..." he trailed off on purpose.

The guard wavered. Loki let out a theatrical sigh.

"Well! Perhaps next time Princess." He placed an arm round her waist and steered her around.

"Wait for it," he murmured as they began walking way. "Wait for it ..."

There was a loud cry from behind."Wait!"

Loki smiled. "And there we are." He gave Kyra a wink. "Reverse psychology. The key lies in being confident."

The door opened up into a dark, spacious room. There were two raised podiums, and when Kyra went near she could see that there were strange dials and buttons on both. Otherwise, the room was empty.

Loki stood in the middle of the two podiums and reached out his hands, touching both sides easily. He eyed Kyra, who was hanging back, unsure.

"Well, come on!"

She stepped next to him and Loki pushed a lever up. Lights flickered on, while a deep whirring noise came from somewhere below and the whole room lurched. Kyra grasped Loki's arm in alarm.

"What was that?"

Loki grinned. "That is the sound of fun!"

In front of Kyra, a blue holographic screen lit up, littered all over with symbols. It looked like a projection of a map more than anything else, and a single moving dot was navigating its streets.

Beyond the screen, the long rectangular wall of the room was peeling away to one side, disappearing and folding into itself. Kyra watched open-mouthed as she soon found herself staring out into the Asgardian night sky.

She walked over to where the wall had been and reached out a tentative hand, only to touch glass. Directly below them was the kingdom of Asgard displayed in all its glory.

"Flying ships," Loki announced proudly from behind her. "The Asgard mode of transportation."

Kyra turned around to look at Loki, her eyes shining. "We're _flying?_ "

Loki pressed a few buttons, setting the plane on a slow floating drift through the night sky. He came to stand next to her, one hand tucked into a pocket, his posture tall and regal. Like a prince.

"No traffic jams here," he smiled.

She laughed, looking back outside the window. "This is amazing!"

They watched the resplendent view for a few minutes, and Loki pointed out the constellations. Here they had far more stars, as well as extra moons. It surprised her how knowledgeable Loki was; she could ask him a whole bunch of questions and he answered them all.

"I bet you were one of those teenagers who was always holed up in the library huh? On Earth we call people like you a nerd."

The edges of his lips curved. "Is that a bad thing?"

Kyra looked at him, seeing his smile, his mesmerizing green eyes, that twinkle of mischief.

She swallowed. "Nope. Nerds are hot."

Loki arched an eyebrow, looking even more amused. " _Hot?_ "

Scarlet warmth crept up her cheeks. She wasn't going to explain _that._ Instead she just turned back to the glass wall.

"Yep. It's uh, it's a Midgard thing."

"Ah. An insult then."

She shot him an exasperated look. "It's a compliment, okay? I just complimented you."

Loki placed a fist to his chest and breathed in deep. "A compliment! From the Crown Princess of Midgard! I thank thee Your Highness." He bowed low.

She rolled her eyes. "You are more than welcome, Prince of Asgard," she mimicked.

She curtseyed too, but at that moment the ship decided to turn right and she stumbled forward. Loki was there in a second, his arms catching her before she could fall.

It was as if they were back at the ball again, in those few moments before they had kissed. Both her hands were holding his arms, while he was holding her by the waist. He was staring at her with that same unfathomable mask he had worn when she had kissed _him,_ and something glimmered in his irises. For her part she thought she might just be about to melt into a puddle of goo.

His eyes glanced, just for the briefest of seconds, to her lips, and she felt her heart rate tripled. _Stop trying to hammer yourself out of my chest!_

Were they going to kiss again? That electrifying dizzying exhilarating kiss? She didn't think her nerves could handle it.

_On second thoughts I think they can ..._

The moment was ruined by a sharp blast of feedback from the ship's internal speakers, followed by an unmistakable bark of:

"Criminal! How dare you escape from your dungeon and wreck havoc on a royal event!" A pause. "And how dare you lock the head of the palace guards inside a _dungeon cell_!"

Loki sighed. He drew himself up straight and Kyra let go, standing aside hurriedly. She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and looked away, willing her cheeks to cool down.

Loki walked to a podium and spoke to the microphone there.

"Ah, Herrick. I must say, you have _terrible_ timing."

There was something about the way he phrased his words that send the warmth scurrying right back up Kyra's cheeks.

"Silence, you repugnant creature! I hereby place you back under arrest!"

There was a loud whine and all the lights dimmed into blackness. Kyra felt the ship changed course. From beside her she could hear Loki walking back.

"He cut off the power and overrode the ship's controls," Loki explained. "He's pulling us back to base. All we can do is wait."

They stood in silence, and Kyra began to be aware of a change in her vision. It was clouding over, getting darker until she nearly couldn't see, and the world too become blurred. For a moment she panicked, but then she remembered that Frigga's magical eye drops worked only until midnight. And it wasn't just her eyesight that was terrible, she had a pretty bad case of night blindness too.

Pretty soon she couldn't see anything. The ship gave another lurch and her hands searched for something to steady herself, but found none.

"Loki?" Her voice echoed in the belly of the ship. She wasn't scared of the dark, but not being able to see was quite unnerving.

"I'm here." The dulcet tones were close, behind her. Her hands reached out for him on their own accord, and she felt his warm skin touched hers. "Can't see?"

She nodded. "Frigga's magic wore off."

Long fingers interlaced with hers in a comforting grip. She felt him step near, and found herself leaning back against his chest.

"I got you," he said softly, both his hands holding hers.

She breathed in, loving his clear citrusy fragrance.

It was a very long minute before she finally decided to tell him.

"Kyra Pierce ... isn't my birth name."

He shifted a little in surprise. "It's not?"

She shook her head, slow. "No, it isn't."

"Then what is it?"

She shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm adopted."

She felt him stiffened. She continued.

"My mother was in university when she became pregnant. One night, she got drunk with her boyfriend, and well ... you know. When her boyfriend - my father I guess, though he wasn't much of one - found out, he didn't want the responsibility. So he dumped her. Ran off with some other girl.

"My mother got depressed after that. She didn't want me either. She saw me as the reason why her life was now completely ruined. She only discovered me in her fifth month of pregnancy, and for the remaining four months she tried to kill me. Abortion surgeries were too expensive, so she used pills. Drugs and alcohol. The whole lot. Apparently she even threw herself down a flight of stairs once."

Kyra paused, recalling all the stories she had heard. All went quiet. Then -

"But you survived," came his voice, low.

"I did. I fought for my place on Earth. And when she finally gave birth to me, she wrapped me up in a towel, so no one could see, and brought me to the toilets, where she planned me to flush me down the drain."

The hands around hers tightened, almost protectively. She thought she heard a sharp inhalation of air.

"But her teacher knew what was going on, and stopped her. She was in a mess, emotionally and mentally, and confessed to everything. Her teacher brought me to an orphanage and told the director there what had happened. She in turn told my step-parents, who told _me_ when they decided I was old enough - which was at sixteen. But I always knew I was adopted, I just didn't know my history."

She stopped. Long moments, where no one spoke.

"Was it hard? Growing up adopted?" he finally asked.

"It wasn't easy. But it wasn't as bad as you think. Sure, you get those gang of nasty kids that call you names and tease about you being unwanted, but they're wrong on that count. I'm _not_ unwanted. And I _do_ have a mum and dad. They're just different from the normal sense. Doesn't mean it's a bad thing."

She gave a sudden laugh. "And sometimes it's fun you know. I got away with _a lot_ of things when I was younger, because when you're adopted people tend to treat you really nice. Not just my parents, but I had all the relatives and teachers wrapped around my little finger. I got _way more_ presents than all my cousins, and I could pull pranks and not get scolded. Did I tell you about this one time when I - "

But she didn't get to finish, because just then Loki pulled her close in a back hug, wrapping both arms around her waist. She tilted her head to the side slightly, as he rested his chin on her collarbone, his cheek pressed up against hers.

She blinked, startled. "Loki - "

He didn't say anything for a long time.

Finally -

"Thank you," he whispered, "for being alive."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *bAWLs In SINgLEhOoD


	18. Of Admiration And Attacks

**HERRICK** looked ready to skin Loki alive as he stepped out of the ship. One snap of his fingers brought two armed guards hurrying forward, snapping the manacles in place around the God of Mischief's wrists. For his part, Loki merely smiled.

"You are in _so much_ trouble, criminal," Herrick seethed. "I will see to it that you receive capital punishment!"

"Like eternal exile on Midgard? I think I would quite like that." Loki tossed Kyra a wink that made her flush red to the roots of her hair.

"Exile is too kind a punishment for _you!_ How dare you lock me in a cell! _A dungeon cell!_ "

"Ah, I see. The blow to your ego too much for you to bear, Herrick? Did you tell your guards _how_ I accomplished such a feat?" Herrick's face turned purplish red. "Evidently not."

Loki raised his voice. "Ladies and gentlemen! I, Loki the criminal, hereby admit to locking Herrick Geir, head of the palace guards, in my dungeon cell! I confess to provoking him, so that he would enter my cell, whereupon I used _his own spear_ to knock him out from under his feet, and then used the handcuffs he so kindly brought along to tie him to the furniture, and, before leaving, cast an illusion that made it seem as if I was still in my cell ... when in reality I had stolen away with Herrick's date at the Elska Ball - "

"Enough!" Herrick roared, a vein popping out in his forehead. One of the guards nearby had been sniggering all throughout the story, but clammed up quick when his superior shot a glare his way. 

Herrick took an angry step forward. "You are a foolish, arrogant and worthless creature - "

"Oh _please ,_ Herrick. Surely you must realize now just how little your insults faze me? I am on an entirely different level than you are."

Loki paused, and shook his head sympathetically.

"Truly, you are _not my type._ " And somehow, even with the manacles on, Loki managed to raise his hands up to his neck - _and flipped his hair._

It didn't exactly whacked Herrick across his face, since his hair wasn't very long, but - Loki! The Asgardian God! _Doing a hair flip!_

Kyra gave a short explosion of laughter. Loki gave her another wink. Herrick frowned, clearly unsure how to take this.

" _That's not how it works_ ," she mouthed over Herrick's head.

" _You said it was an insult,"_ he mouthed back.

"I know, but - " She let loose another fit of giggles.

Herrick decided that he had had quite enough of this. "Take him to the dungeons!"

They marched down the corridor, the armed guards on Loki's both sides, while Kyra walked with Herrick in front. Herrick was of the opinion that Loki had somehow harmed her, and kept questioning if she was alright.

"I'm fine, I really am," she repeated for the third time. "He didn't do anything. He just - uh, showed me a tour of Asgard."

_And spent the ride back hugging me in silence. Oh, and did I mention we kissed?_

"I never approved of the idea of exiling _him_ " - Herrick spat the word as if it was a piece of disgusting trash - "to Midgard. It would only put the lives of all mortals in jeopardy! Especially yours, to whom he will be bounded for a month! Already he has attempted to murder you!"

"Yes well, it wasn't as if he did it on purpose - " Kyra glanced back, remembering how Loki had been in his cell and feeling a little worried at where this conversation was taking them. 

"Precisely! He cannot control his actions! He is completely taken over!" The way Herrick spoke it was as if Loki wasn't there. "There is no rational mind anymore - not that he was very rational to begin with - only a blind beast!"

Kyra looked back. She still didn't quite know if Loki had gotten over blaming himself, and Herrick's words were certainly not helping. Loki was looking steadily forward, his face was expressionless.

In a hurry to change the subject, Kyra blurted out the first thing that came into her mind.

"Are you single, Herrick?"

The entire trooping formation of four completely crashed to a standstill. 

Herrick was staring at her, his mouth slightly ajar. Kyra swallowed, and didn't dare look back to see what Loki's expression was.

"Well - uh, I mean, that is - " she flustered. _Damn, I could have picked a better topic._ But it really had been the only thing that came to her head, because literally that was the only thing Frigga had told her about Herrick. "Well, Mrs - _Queen_ Frigga mentioned to me that she was picking an eligible bachelor as my date, and uh ... I just didn't expect someone as - as good-looking as you to still be available!" She let out a false laugh, hoping to appeal to his ego.

It worked. Herrick's chest puffed up a little at that and the conversation took a sharp turn off onto another track. 

"Well, I _do_ have my fair share of admirers," he began, "but the right one never came along I guess!" He laughed, and she hurried to laugh with him. _Anything to keep him from attacking Loki._

They walked on, and Kyra listened tolerantly as Herrick began to recount some of his achievements - _I was the youngest Einherjar ever to be made head of palace guards ..._ Since her eyesight was less than stellar, there was the occasional time when she would trip over a ridge in the carpet, or almost bump into something overhead, and Herrick would tenderly placed an arm around her shoulder as support. The first time he did this her hands reached up instinctively to slap him away, but froze - and changed to brushing a lock of hair behind her ear instead. She offered an awkward smile and mumbled her thanks, all the while wondering how Loki was taking this. She didn't dare look though.

They reached the stone steps that led down to the dungeon.

"Lady Kyra, I do think it is best if you wait up here," Herrick said. "The dungeons are not the best place to be in after all, _especially_ when the criminal in concern is a sly and devious little snake." He glanced over meaningfully, and she pretended not to see.

Herrick stood to one side and the guards marched on, holding Loki by the arms. She snuck a peek at him as he walked past. He was looking straight ahead, not even bothering to glance her way. Her heart fell. 

_Well. Were you hoping for a kiss goodbye?_ She shook her head, trying to knock some sense into herself. 

"If you would just wait here, Lady Kyra." Herrick was speaking again. "I will be done very soon, and then I will escort you back to your room."

"Oh. Okay." She stood a little off to the side, where she could watch Loki walk down into the dungeons. She didn't stop looking until the back of him finally disappeared around the bend.

_***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _

"If you would just wait here, Lady Kyra. I will be done very soon, and then I will escort you back to your room." 

Loki heard the words even as he stood there, at the bottom of the stone steps. He looked up. He couldn't see Kyra from where he was, but he could see the expression Herrick wore. The way his admiring eyes ran over Kyra, from top to toe. The fingers hanging from the iron rings curled into each other just that little bit tighter. 

All the way from the ship to the dungeon, as he saw how Herrick was cozying up to Kyra, a strange fire was aflamed in his chest. It sat there, squat and ugly, and blazed a thousand times hotter whenever Herrick placed an arm around Kyra's shoulders. In a bid to calm down he forced himself to stare straight ahead, and even when he was walking into the dungeon he didn't dare give Kyra a last look, for fear that his taut string of a temper might just snap and he would punch Herrick right there and then.

Speaking of the devil, Herrick came down the step just then. He whistled a little as he walked, and when he passed Loki, shot him a self-satisfied smirk. Loki said nothing, but his eyes burned.

They reached the cell, and Herrick stood before it, clapping his hand against his glass.

"Welcome home," he sneered. He waved, a single motion, and the glass slid apart. 

The two guards freed Loki of his handcuffs and pushed him forward. Slowly he made his way to the cell, his footsteps trudging. 

And all this while, Herrick was speaking.

"Finally! Now everything is back where it belongs. All things in their proper places. The criminal in his cell, and me, the handsome bachelor with noble blood, free to court a lovely maiden - "

Loki was walking past Herrick as he said that, and without thinking he reacted. The palms of his hands slammed into Herrick's chest, toppling him into the cell before Loki himself leapt into it. Herrick stumbled backwards, falling ungainly on his rear.

Before the two guards could rush over, he had the Einherjar hauled up by the collar of his fancy armour and pushed roughly against the wall.

"If you touch her," he snarled, "I'll make sure that's the last thing you ever do _._ "

His voice was low, but no less deadly and dangerous. His green eyes were dark and flashing, and his grip on the Einherjar was so tight his knuckles were white. Since he was pressing Herrick right on his Adam's apple, hard, Herrick looked like he might passed out from suffocation.

The two guards barked out warnings for him to stop, and as they both ran into the cell Loki moved backwards abruptly, arms raised, letting Herrick slump to the floor. The careless uncaring demeanor was back on his face, and he didn't struggle as the guards restrained him. Instead he smiled, cheerfully, as if nothing had happened, though his green eyes still carried that menacing gleam.

Herrick caught his breath and stood up. He glared at Loki, but made no move towards him, nor hiss another insult. He huffed, shaking away the criminal's touch on his clothes, and marched resolutely out of the cell.

The glass closed, imprisoning Loki inside. Herrick had walked perhaps three feet away when that irritating - to him - voice called out.

"Hey. Dwarf."

He stiffened. Now that he was out of the cell he felt a bit safer, so he whirled around, mouth opened yet again to deliver another cutting jeer - 

"She can't see very well in the dark." Loki's tone was reluctant, as if he really didn't want to have to tell Herrick this. "So when you escort her ... you take good care of her. You hear me?His eyes flared up again in that sudden scary way. "Or you'll have me to answer to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we all love a little protective Loki


	19. Of Trials & Tribulations

**KYRA** yawned. _I think I could get used to this._

It was her second morning in Asgard, and upon waking up she found that breakfast had been laid out for her on the bedside table, and a new dress - simpler than last night's but no less elegant - was hung at the foot of her bed. It was a wonderful feeling to not have to do anything save for showering and eating.

Frigga had left her the vial of potion for her vision, and she dripped a drop each into her eyes. _Ah, much better._ She had just put on her dress when a knock on the door signaled the entrance of a maid, who was here to clear the breakfast tray.

Kyra frowned at her reflection in the mirror. _My jeans and shirt are with Frigga aren't they? I seriously need to pack them up or I'll forget to bring them back to Earth with me._

Turning to the maid she asked, "Do you happen to know where the Queen is?"

The maid looked up. "Why, she's at the trial of course. In the grand hall."

"Trial? What trial?"

The maid looked surprised. "Haven't you heard? The trial of the criminal, Loki Laufeyson."

A block of ice formed in the pit of her stomach. "But - he's in exile now right? He's supposed to complete his exile, and prove that he's changed, and King Odin will let him go! Why a sudden trial?"

"I'm not quite sure myself, miss. But from the rumors I've heard, it's something about him hurting a mortal. One of the terms of his exile was that he _wouldn't_ hurt a mortal, and now that he's done it, he's failed hasn't he? And failure equates death."

The ice exploded, splintering into a thousand jagged shards.

Without knowing it, she was already running. She left the maid and her exclamations behind, her bare feet tearing up the carpeted corridors as she ran and ran. _The grand hall was where the ball had been last night wasn't it?_ She knew how to get there. She _had_ to get there. 

She ran, skirts bunched up in both her fists, her russet hair streaming out behind her. She dashed past startled ladies and frightened another maid, who was exiting a nearby corridor with an armful of washed cutlery. The maid shrieked, and the plates crashed to the floor.

"Sorry! Sorry!" she yelled, looking back as she kept running. "I would help, but I have to go save a really hot nerd!"

A turn left, then right, and she spied the entrance ahead, along with the two guards standing there.

"Ah crap!" she hissed, skidding to a stop. There was no way she could get past those two. And she doubt this time they would believe that she was the Crown Princess of Midgard.

She ducked behind a wall, catching her breath even as the cogs in her head whirled in a frenzy. _Come on Kyra, think!_

She closed her eyes and tried to visualize the hall in her mind. _Damn, if only I had been paying attention yesterday! It's amazing how he distracts me ..._

What she did managed to remember though, was that at one side of the grand hall was a large balcony, that overlooked an empty square space beneath, where the people gathered to hear the King speak from above. _Sort of like the Pope speaking out to the crowd from his apartment window. And if I remember correctly -_

She dashed back into the maze of corridors, retracing her steps. Slamming open the door of her bedroom, she was relieved to see that the maid had gone. _It's probably going to be hard to explain what I'm doing next._ Heading to her balcony, she opened the glass sliding doors and looked down, over the railings ...

_Ahahaha! Yes! I'm right over the grand hall's balcony!_

So now she had an entrance. But how to get there?

She looked around the room, her eyes falling on her four-poster bed. 

_Man, I hope those books got it right._

In ten minutes she'd tied together all her bed sheets into one long rope, with one end knotted as tightly as she could around the foot of her bed, while the other was twisted around her right wrist. Hesitatingly she looked down. 

_Christ, that must be ten feet at least._

She took a deep breath. _I can do this_. Gingerly she climbed up and over the railings, before slowly letting herself down. 

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Loki sighed, bored. _Bored bored bored bored bored!_ As usual, Herrick was whispering nasty comments in the King and Queen's ears, trying to get them to swiftly execute him on the spot. He was back to being ignored, as he stood, hands cuffed, before them on the hall floor. What else was new?

His eyes roamed the hall. _Majestic columns, sparkling throne, strong supporting beams, vast ceiling, spacious balcony, a pair of kicking legs -_

He blinked. 

_Now that, is new._

He stared. Only the feet of the legs could be seen, along with the hem of a violet dress. They were hanging outside, from above the balcony, and as he watched they slowly descended. 

_What in Bor's name -_

"Criminal! Are you not listening?" That was Herrick.

Loki's eyes went back to the throne, though he kept his face slightly pointed to the direction of the balcony. 

"Ah - yes. Pardon?" he answered, not really listening.

Herrick went into all his list of crimes, and finished up by asking if he confessed. 

"I - " Loki's eyes darted back and forth between the throne and the mysterious legs. Who in heavens name was reckless enough for such a daredevil act?

_If the wind picks up he's going to be swung out over the balcony, and then it'll be a hundred foot drop to the hard ground below._

Distracted, he only said, "Yes."

Herrick frowned. "Yes? You confess?"

Loki rolled his eyes, finally focusing his attention on his interrogator. 

" _Yes,_ you dumb mutt, I confess." _Now leave me alone so I can figure out what kind of mischief this is._

As Herrick spluttered in outrage, Loki watched as the waist of the dress came into view, before the descent came to an abrupt stop. The legs hung there for a moment, the dress rippling in the morning breeze.

 _Somebody's run out of rope,_ Loki thought, amused. _What are you going to do now?_

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_Crap. I've run out of rope._

Kyra hung in midair, swaying a little in the wind. Her plan had been going smoothly so far - the rope was twisted round and round her arm, and she would unwind it bit by bit as she let herself down ... she had a vision of herself landing gracefully and magically on the balcony, whereupon she would burst into the grand hall, laying out her arguments with conviction and passion, and Loki would be blown away by her elocution ...

_The books never said anything about the bed sheets not being long enough!_

She looked down. There was still at least five feet to go. _A fall like this couldn't possibly hurt me right?_

As if on cue, she heard Herrick raised his voice.

"Loki Laufeyson! The judgement is as thus - "

And she cringed, closed her eyes and let go.

A rush of air, whistling in her ears, a loud thump - 

_Jesus Christ, it HURTS!_

She laid there for a moment, groaning. There was a sharp stabbing pain in her ankle and her hands went to clutch at it.

"Kyra!" Loki's voice. She opened her eyes and saw him, as well as the shocked and alarmed expression on his face. He began dragging his bound feet towards her, chains and all, and one of the guards yanked back at the chrome links. He whipped his head around and snapped, " _Can't you see she's hurt?_ " Frigga motioned with her wrist, as if turning an invisible key in the air. When Odin did not object, the guard produced a key and freed him. The chains hadn't even landed on the ground before Loki was off and running.

Kyra heard the footsteps pounding near and looked up just in time to see him reach her.

"Hey. Hey. Take it easy." His voice was gentle, just like his hands, as he cradled her head off of the floor and onto his lap. "Are you alright? What are you doing here?"

Wincing, Kyra made to get up. Loki was about to stop her, but the determination etched on her face stopped him. Instead he carefully helped her up, and when Kyra stepped away and almost fell again, he was there in an instant. 

"Easy. There is a reason I am here."

"Thanks." She smiled, her eyebrows still knitted in pain. With an arm around Loki's shoulder she turned to the throne. Herrick was gaping like some bulbous fish.

"Your Majesty. Queen Frigga and King Odin. I'm sorry for the intrusion. But I _have_ to say this." She swallowed. "When Loki was - hurting me, he wasn't himself! He was taken over by the memories! He didn't mean to do it! And he apologized!"

"Kyra - " Loki began by her ear.

She waved him away. "I'm _not_ letting you get executed by something that's not really your fault!" she hissed, before facing back to the throne.

"You can't punish him because of this! Since this incident happened at Earth, shouldn't we follow Earth's rules? At Earth, people who did something wrong because they were mentally affected don't get executed! They get sent to hospitals to get better!"

Next to her, Loki was speaking up again, in a warning tone. " _Kyra -_ "

She ignored him and barreled right on. 

"As the victim, I hold the right to decide whether or not I want to press charges. And the answer to that is no. Absolutely not! I am _not_ pressing charges against Loki for something he didn't have control over, and didn't intend to do!"

She hadn't even realized that she'd raised her voice. Pausing, she took in the grave faces before her, and some part of her realized that she had just been yelling at royalty, as well as the parents of the guy she was supposed to be protecting. _Whoops. Not the best impression you want to make to your future in-laws._

And the next second - _In-laws? Where had_ that _come from?_

_Focus Kyra, focus._

Swallowing, some of her courage shrinking a little, she added meekly, "No offense meant of course, Your Majesty." She supposed she should curtsy now, but doubted her ankle would allow it.

Odin's gaze never wavered, but when he spoke there was light amusement in his voice.

"I thank you for your concerns Lady Kyra, but today's trial is _not_ about that. The Queen and I have both agreed long ago that Loki's actions were done unconsciously and without intention, and hence spared from punishment. What we _have_ gathered here to discuss however, is the matter of him breaking out of jail yesterday night and attending a royal function to which he is not invited." The ghost of a smile touched Odin's lips. "Do harbor no worries Lady Kyra. This infringement of the rules is not severe enough to guarantee him the death penalty. The most we can impose on him is a fine, and a month's jail time when he returns from exile."

Kyra's mouth fell ajar.

"I _did_ try to warn you," came the whisper. She could feel him shaking with laughter behind her. 

"And please dear," Frigga remarked, "do use the front door next time. A knock would have been enough to grant you an entrance."

Kyra bit down on her lip, hard, her face flushing a bright scarlet as Odin let out a low chuckle. Frigga was smiling, and behind she could hear Loki's muffled laughter as clear as day. 

_Oh god the embarrassment!_

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After the trial, Loki was given the all clear to return back to Midgard to continue his exile, of which there were twenty-four days left. As they stood waiting for Heimdall at the Bifrost, Kyra glanced over at Loki, who had changed back into his Earth clothes. 

_I can't believe it's only been six days since I met this guy. And already I -_ She shook her head. _Focus Kyra, focus._

Loki kept his eyes on the portal and spoke.

"Somebody was so anxious for my well-being that she was willing to risk her life dangling off the balcony this morning." His voice was smooth, sly. 

Kyra flushed. _Must he remind me of that?_ Outside, she only laughed out loud.

"Worried? For your well-being?" She scoffed. "Oh please. I was only worried that - that if you get executed, I won't get my three wishes! After I've gotten what I want, well, Herrick can let you rot in the dungeons for all I care."

Loki inhaled through his teeth and shot her a look. "Now that's a harsh thing to say to your boyfriend."

 _Boyfriend._ She felt her pulse picked up. Was he saying _boyfriend_ , or was he saying _"boyfriend"_? Were they still pretending? After last night, she didn't know what to think. Sure, she had started out the kiss as a show, but did it continue as one? And what about the moment they had shared in the ship? The way he had held her, that spine-tingling silence, as they had held an entire conversation without speaking? Or was it all on her part? 

She knew what she felt, but what about _him_?

"Mortal. Earth to Kyra? Hello!"

She snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh? What?"

Loki frowned - and then that fox smile came back on his lips. 

"You were thinking about me, weren't you? Worrying so much until you aren't even paying attention to your surroundings?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. _Sure_." A pause. "Why? Were you asking me something?"

He directed his eyes back to the front, his tone suddenly suspiciously casual. "Did he do anything last night?"

"Who?"

"Herrick." It was a reluctant grunt. "Did he do anything to you last night?"

She frowned, thinking back. "Well, he walked me back like he promised, and made sure I didn't trip over anything. And then when we reached my bedroom door, we said goodbye and he kissed - "

" _He what?_ " It was a thunderous yell, and Loki's face blackened instantly as he stared at her. He looked downright murderous. " _That mangy cur, that son of a -_ "

" - my hand," Kyra finished. The beginnings of a smug smile showed on her face. "Loki. _Herrick kissed_ _my hand._ You know, like how all the princely noblemen do? Like the gentlemen in Downton Abbey? Oh wait. You don't watch that show. Never mind."

Loki blinked, the wind completely taken out of his sails. "Oh. I see. Right." He cleared his throat, and resumed looking to the front.

Something about his reaction set off cartwheels of fireworks in her. She couldn't help smiling.

"Somebody was so anxious for my well-being that he completely over-reacted before I even finished my sentence," she mimicked right back at him. 

She could have sworn she saw a faint trail of blush up Loki's cheeks. 

Ignoring her he gestured with his chin up front. "Heimdall's here. Let's go."

She wasn't dropping the subject so easily however. As they headed over to the dark, bulky Bridgekeeper Kyra nudged Loki playfully against his shoulder. Loki shook her off, his face staring resolutely to the front. She giggled, and nudged him again.

"Mortal! Stop that!"

" _Somebody was worrying about me ..._ "

"You have a very annoying voice, did anyone tell you that?"

"SOMEBODY was worrying about _meeeee ..._ "

And on and on. 


	20. Of Coffee & Caramel

" **ALRIGHT** guys, listen up!" Richard walked around the cubicles, handing each of them a set of documents. "This could very well be our next big thing, so I want all hands on deck!"

Cecilia started to read out loud. "Nathan Wilde. 36-year-old white male running for seat of state governor. Has a wife and two kids. Married for twelve years."

She flipped a page. "Jennifer Hopps. Single mother with six-year-old child. Oh, I see where this is going."

"That's right. I've had a tip from an anonymous source. He's an insider in Nathan's office, so he's pretty trustworthy. According to him, a woman - Jennifer - came to find Nathan one Thursday evening, just before work finished, when the people still in the office were the least.

"According to our source she seemed anxious, and since she had no prior appointment she was turned away. But she continued begging and said that Nathan knew who she was. So the secretary reported her arrival to Nathan, who immediately allowed her to enter.

"Mr Anonymous then said that when she entered the office, she left the door slightly ajar, so he accidentally overheard their conversation - "

Harry snorted. "Yeah right. A married politician, close to winning the elections, meeting up with a mysterious woman. A scene that could potentially cause a scandal! _And he doesn't notice that his door is ajar?_ I'd bet you my wedding that it was Mr Anonymous himself that decided to play Peeping Tom and started eavesdropping."

Richard pointed a red Sharpie his way. "And a hundred points to Harry for that! I agree with you, but let's allow our source his little lie shall we? He might be the reason for our next jackpot."

Now it was Sherria who snorted. "Don't you mean our _first_ jackpot?"

Richard ignored her and went on.

"Our source couldn't hear quite clearly - muffled office walls and all that - but he did get the gist. Apparently Jennifer is Nathan's ex-girlfriend in high school, and they had a class reunion six years ago, where they met each other again. One thing led to another, and next thing you know she's pregnant. She's been raising the child by herself all these years."

Kyra frowned. "Six years, and she's only saying something now? Why?"

Richard started pacing. "From what Mr Anonymous heard, Jennifer's daughter - which is called Judy by the way - has been asking about her dad for quite some time. And she's come home crying before because her classmates tease her about not having one. So Jennifer was wondering if Nathan would come see Judy and spend time with her occasionally. "

"And what did our dear old politician have to say about all this?" Harry asked. 

"He was quite the un-gentleman about it. It seems he told her to eff off. He said there was no way for her to prove such a thing and no one would believe her anyway. Oh, and she'd better not show her effing face here again or else her and her effing daughter will effing _get it._ "

"Not a very wise thing to say to the woman that could potentially ruin your career. So what happened after that?"

Richard shrugged. "Jennifer left."

"That's it?"

"That's it. She pleaded for a few more minutes, but when it became clear that Nathan was having none of it - she left."

Harry frowned. "Wow. That's - quite the anticlimax."

Sherria examined a nail. "Well _I_ would have gone straight to the press. Make as loud as a noise I can, and that way he won't be able to ignore me."

Eric peeked out from above his cubicle wall. "I - I did some research on Miss Jennifer. She's a primary school teacher with moderate income, and is still paying off her car loans. She rents a cheap apartment to stay in, along with her daughter. They're not very well off, and she looks like the meek, soft type. The type that gets easily bullied, if - if you know what I mean."

Richard clapped his hands. "Right! So here's our mission folks! We shall gather enough evidence that will damn Nathan, publish it as our next issue's main article, and get the world's attention! He won't be able to run away this time. We get glory, and help Miss Jennifer dole out justice! A win-win situation!"

They all nodded.

"Right, so here are your assignments ..."

Kyra eyed the nondescript building that rose before her. It was indeed, like Eric said, a cheap apartment, tucked away near the outskirts of the city. The task Richard had assigned her was this - _try to persuade Miss Jennifer to hold an interview with us._

Next to her, a silky smooth voice spoke. "No worries mortal. I'm sure my godly looks and charm will soon convince her to assist us."

Loki's eyes lit up. " _Godly_ looks! Get it?"

Kyra rolled her eyes. "Let's just go."

They entered the building.

********************************************

At the cafe opposite the apartment, a man in a long black trench coat sat, sipping his hazelnut white coffee. He lifted his Samsung Galaxy to his ear and dialed a number.

"It's me. Man and woman entering apartment. Woman carrying backpack, audio recorder in side pocket. Man with camera, Canon DSLR. Standard journalist gear."

In a high-rise office tower in the heart of the city, another man took the call. He was tall, rugged-looking, and charismatic when he smiled. As he looked out the window of the office however, his lips were pressed in a thin line and he was anything but smiling.

He paused only for a moment. "Tag them."

*********************************

"Avery Apartments, 3rd floor, room 6. Ah! Here we are."

Kyra buzzed the doorbell. No response. They waited for a few seconds, and then she pressed the bell again. Still no response.

"Perhaps she is not at home," Loki suggested. "Why don't we wait for her at the cafe opposite? The menu outside said that they were serving caramel waffles today."

She ignored him and started hammering on the door. "Miss Jennifer! Jennifer Hopps? Are you in there? We'd like to talk to you please!"

"We mean no harm! We come in peace!" Loki added.

Kyra shot him a look.

"What?"

"We're not _alien_ s, Loki. At least, one of us isn't."

The door opened a crack. A pale-faced woman looked out at them, wary and cautious. Her straw blonde hair hung loose and draggly at her back, and her face was pinched.

"Miss Jennifer! Hi! I'm Kyra, and this is Lance. We're from the _Tidbits_ magazine -"

"I know who you are," she interrupted. "I have no idea why journalists would want to come and find me, but I am a very busy woman juggling two jobs and a child, and I have no time to sit down and talk. I'm sorry, but please leave."

The door started to close but Loki shot a foot out, blocking it. At the same time, Kyra spoke up, her voice persuading.

"Miss Jennifer. We've heard of the whole story. We know what's going on. And we want to help you."

Jennifer's pale face went even paler and her next words came out stuttering. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. _Please,_ just leave."

"Why do you let him beat you down? He's Judy's _father_. He has the responsibility to take care of her, and she has every right to see him! You've done nothing wrong!" Kyra's voice softened. "You've been so brave and strong all this while, raising her on your own. It can't be easy. And now, all you want is to fulfill your little girl's wish. He can't even help you with _that_? Don't you think it's wrong? Don't you think it's irresponsible of him?"

Jennifer's eyes darted all around the corridor. 

"You don't understand," she hissed, her voice a fearful whisper. "He's a powerful man - and they're watching. They're watching all the time. You can't see them, but _they're always watching._ " Her face suddenly became stricken. "They could even be watching us _now._ Oh God. I can't let them see - they can't see that I'm talking to you - " 

Her eyes blazed up suddenly, her voice almost a hysterical scream. " _You leave me and my daughter alone!"_

She yanked back at the door hard, and Loki gave a yelp. He withdrew his foot quickly and there came a loud slam as Jennifer disappeared from sight. 

They took the elevator down, Kyra biting her lip all the while. Loki winced and massaged his toes through his shoe. 

"Reminds me of the time Lady Sif punched me in the face for turning all her armour into lace negligees," he grumbled.

Kyra wasn't even listening. "She must have been threatened in some way. That sneaky little dirtbag must have sent people out to watch her every movement." She snapped her fingers. "No wonder she hasn't been able to go to the press!"

They reached the ground floor and exited the building, Kyra still talking to herself. "We have _got_ to help her. But we have to _convince_ her to take our help first. She's too afraid - and no wonder, she's got a child. Bet they used that against her."

"Quite right." Loki's eyes slid to the cafe opposite. "My, this sounds like a rather hard case to crack. Why don't we get some refreshments and think it over? Do caramel waffles sound nice?"

Kyra sighed, finally pulling herself out of her inner contemplation to look at Loki. "You know what? Just go ahead. Just go and buy those damn waffles. I'll wait for you here."

"Alright! Do you want any?"

"No. Unlike you, I have something _serious_ to do." 

Loki frowned. "Replenishment of nutrients is a very serious thing."

She sighed and gave up.

Loki stepped off the kerb and crossed the street to the cafe. As he entered he looked back, seeing her standing there, eyebrows furrowed and already back to biting her lip. His lips twitched.

He approached the counter and flashed a brilliant smile, which send the receptionist blushing a bright red. 

"One caramel waffle please. To take away." The girl blinked, stammered for a moment, and bustled around clumsily to prepare his order. Loki swept his gaze across the menu. "Oh, and can you add on a coffee please? Thanks."

He paid, feeling rather proud of himself for managing to get the dollars right, and left with the paper bag and drink. With his free hand he pushed open the cafe door - his head tilted up at where the mortal had last been seen - and - 

He frowned. His eyes roamed the streets and the sidewalks, a lazy search that eventually grew frantic. 

_What in Bor's name -_

She was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> someone PLEASE tell me they got the references in this chapter-


	21. Of Bruises And Bitterness

" **MEDDLING** little busybody."

Kyra backed up, her backpack slung protectively in front of her chest. Her heart thumped like a runaway train, but she was determined not to show it.

"Who are you people? What do you want?" she demanded.

The two men were huge and bulky, blocking the entire entrance of the small alleyway. They advanced meanly, giving her no choice but to retreat. She was going to run out of space soon - behind her was a dead end.

"You leave that wench and her kid alone," one of them said. "You hear me? She's not the one that's got a whole lotta trouble comin' her way."

Even in her dangerous situation Kyra felt something within her flare up.

"Did Nathan send you guys? Are you the one responsible for making her so paranoid? Did you guys threaten to hurt Judy as well?"

She thought of the fearful look and worry Jennifer had worn when she spoke her daughter's name. Her anger escalated.

"You guys are the worst, you know that? And I've got a few words to say to your boss!" she spat. "You tell him, that he's nothing but an - an amorphous nincompoop! And as for you two, I hope you both get attacked by a giant isopod ... while you're stark naked! In the shower! And I hope a tongue-eating louse gets into your mouth!"

She lifted her chin up defiantly. The two men frowned, and seemed undecided on whether to laugh or be offended. One of them hacked up a green glob of something nasty and spat it at the ground, before rolling out the muscles in his neck and shoulders.

_Crick. Crack._

Kyra swallowed. Something told her things were about to get _really_ bad.

"You're a little spitfire aren't you? Well it's about time somebody doused you with some cold water. Not everybody likes heroes, missie."

They walked closer, cracking their knuckles, evil leers marking their faces.

 _Ah crap._ Panicky, she raised her voice and screamed for help. They pounced on her at once of course, a rough hand clamping over her mouth. She trashed and kicked, but her assailants were bestial brutes set on teaching her a lesson -

"Kyra!"

There was an enraged snarl. She'd recognize that voice anywhere.

Her attackers were violently pushed off of her. Loki stood between her and them, his green eyes flashing murder.

Not letting his eyes off of them, he asked, his voice tense, "Are you hurt?"

"I - I'm fine. But Loki, you can't fight them. The terms of your exile ... you'll get executed."

Loki's eyes flickered her way and he swore. He pushed Kyra even further behind him and his grip on her tightened.

One of the thugs thumbed his nose. "Well well well. Whaddya know? Lil princess has got a knight in shining armour! Did she get into your pants or something, for you to come dashing to the rescue like this?"

The little voice in her head spoke up.

_Kyra Pierce. You are in a life-threatening situation right now, where both you and Loki are in danger. Right now is not the time to be blushing just because somebody implied you slept with Loki._

A pause.

_Though technically speaking, you did sleep with him ..._

_Focus Kyra, focus!_

The thug was speaking again. "Well it doesn't matter really. We've got orders to make sure the meddlers stop meddling. And that's exactly, what we're going to do."

They moved, closing in, trapping them. They were backed up against the wall, with nowhere to go, and things weren't looking so good.

"This is about the only time I wish my brother was here," Loki muttered.

"Agreed," Kyra whispered. "Though I've never seen him before - but yeah."

Loki locked eyes with her over his shoulder. "I'm going to do something. Do you trust me?"

She swallowed, and nodded.

"Good. Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Just do it Kyra. And no matter what happens, don't look. And don't fight me." He was back to eyeing the two thugs, and his voice brooked no argument.

"...Okay."

She squeezed her eyes shut, blood pounding in her ears. She felt him move close, and soon she could feel the rough surface of a cement wall behind her back. They had reached the dead end. No more space to retreat.

"This is going to hurt," she heard him mutter, at the same time he wrapped his arms tightly around her, and pushed her down.

The thugs did what thugs did best.

She heard more than she felt the punches and kicks, as well as the grunts of pain coming from Loki. She was sitting down, her knees brought up to her chest, while Loki was crouched over her, encircling her in a protective embrace. She could feel his body in front of her, jerking and thudding as he acted as her shield, taking the brunt of it all. 

Of course she couldn't have that - she had thought he was about to pull some fancy magic trick, not this! - and she made to open her eyes.

"Don't look!" But how could she listen? She opened them anyway, brown orbs dilating in shock and horror as she glimpsed the two men beyond dealing as much violence as they could.

"Stop it!" she screamed, "Stop hurting him! He has nothing to do with this!"

She pushed at Loki's arms but - _damn -_ for someone who preferred magic to fighting he was surprisingly strong. 

"Kyra please." His words were punctuated by winces as he struggled to hold firm against the increasingly frenzied attacks. "Stop. You're not helping."

" _Are you crazy? You're getting hurt!_ "

"But _you're_ not." And even through all this he still managed to let out a wry smile - that was broken by another grunt of pain. 

The pain in his eyes mirrored hers; she felt so helpless, it was the dungeon and the night market all over again ... how could she just stand there and let him take it all? It wasn't fair, and what was worse _he_ hadn't even been the one that they were targeting, it was supposed to be her - but now Loki was getting hurt and she could do nothing _nothing ..._

"Let me go. Let me go, Loki!"

"For what? So - two people - could get hurt - instead of one?"

"No, so you can hurt _less_!"

"Well I need someone healthy to play nurse to me later on - " He broke off, turning his head sideways as he swore, and Kyra felt his entire being shuddered from a particularly heavy blow.

The tears spilled without even her being aware of it. " _Why are you doing this?"_

Loki's smile was crooked. 

"Because I'm your boyfriend, remember?" 

And she watched his teeth clenched as the kicks kept coming. 

The tears fell silently as she placed two shaky palms against his cheeks.

"I could use some distraction about now." His voice was hoarse. "You know, from all this - "

He didn't get to finish, because already Kyra had lifted her lips to his. The contact was soft at first, just a gentle brush, and then he closed the distance. The ball kiss had been sweet, but not this one - this one she could taste the saltiness of her tears that had slipped down her cheeks and in between their lips, he was hurting so bad and she could do _nothing_. This was a bitter kiss, one she wouldn't forget, and not in a good way. This was all she could do for him - at this moment.

Or maybe not.

Because the moment she felt there was an opening she squirmed out from under his arms. The moment she entered the melee she wished she hadn't - there was a kick to her shoulder and she felt something popped, as well as a bolt of pain in her ribs. She heard Loki swore as he tried to pull her back in, but he only succeeded halfway - she was protecting him as much as she could whether he liked it or not. Each blow that came her way meant one less for Loki, and she took the suffering with grim satisfaction.

It was about ten minutes before they stopped. Spitting in their direction and uttering a few more choice threats for them to stop pursuing Jennifer, they finally left. Kyra curled herself up in a ball, wheezing and gasping for air, feeling the pain everywhere. Her left cheek stung like fire and she was sure that all her ribs were broken. She wasn't bleeding - at least, none that she could see - which she took as a good sign. Beside her Loki was slumped against the wall, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He looked worse than she was, his eye was swollen and his lip was bleeding yet again, the old wound from the dungeons re-opened.

"You know," she rasped, "I don't know - what kind of dating advice you get in Asgard - but - here on Earth - couples face troubles _together._ "

Loki coughed out a weak laugh. "I've never dated before, so I wouldn't know."

Kyra exhaled and leaned back, wincing as she hit a sore spot on her arm. "Liar."

"Have I ever lied to you?" he gasped. "Wait. Don't answer that."

She laughed then, a sound that came out more as a series of snort-grunt-gasp-wheeze-curse-word.

"Man, this sucks," she sighed.

"Indeed. Who knows what they're going to do to us next time?"

"We should probably stop pursuing this, huh?"

"That would be the wisest decision."

"But we aren't wise."

"Most assuredly not. In fact, I think we're rather stupid." A smirk. "Dumb and dumber, I should say."

Kyra raised an eyebrow. "Somebody's been watching Earth movies. And who may the dumber be I wonder?"

"Is it not obvious? You, of course."

Carefully Kyra adjusted her position to a more comfortable one, and cringed as she hit another bruise. 

"Oh really? Who was the one - that didn't even know what a trolley is?"

"Well, who was the one that shouted insults to the people about to beat her up?"

She coughed. "Fair point."

Loki dragged himself closer to the wall so he could lean against it. "I believe we should see the healer."

"Hospital you mean. And yes I agree. Just give me five minutes."

"Make that ten."

"Change it to an hour."

"Why don't we just stay here forever?" Loki pointed up to the clear blue sky above them. "We have a nice view, good company, food across the street......"

"Yeah, and we don't even have to pay rent."

"Sounds like a dream come true."

"Mm-hmm."

Kyra chuckled, which led to a snort of laughter from Loki, and next thing they knew they were engulfed in absurd laughter. Two bruised and battered people, lying hurt and wounded from the ground, after a volley of violence and death threats, _laughing._ Any passer-by would have think they were nuts.

"Hahahahaha - " Loki broke off, gasping. "Oww. My stomach ... oof, okay no more laughing ..."

It only made Kyra laughed harder of course, which didn't help the situation. She had a shoulder that might or might not be dislocated, a dozen bruises already turning purple and ribs that might be broken. Yet sitting there in the dark alleyway, beside a man that already in less than a week had changed her life irrevocably, a man that could make her heart skipped several beats with just one gesture, a man that she could no longer deny her feelings for, a man that well, wasn't even a man, not really, she couldn't help thinking that she had never felt this alright in her life.


	22. Of Gifts & Glasses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As somebody who wears glasses  
> I dream of this  
> pls take notes future bf

" **OWW**." A pause. "Ouch! _In Bor's name......._ "

"Oh shush you. How can a god be so easily hurt?"

"Says the person with the lesser injuries. And _without_ a black eye may I add."

They were back in Kyra's apartment. A visit to the clinic and a lie to the doctor about Kyra's purse getting mugged had revealed that their injuries mostly consisted of ugly bruises. And no, her ribs _hadn't_ been broken, but she did sustained a nasty deep gash in her shoulder.

_Well at least it isn't dislocated._

Now they were sitting in the living room couch, in front of the television, and Kyra was tending to Loki's black eye with a hard-boiled egg.

"You know what? What don't you just do it yourself. Just roll the thing around your eye, I'm sure you've got enough brain to handle that one at least."

"Ooh. The mortal _has_ become a regular little spitfire." Loki took the handkerchief-wrapped object and Kyra turned to the first-aid kit lying opened beside her. She closed it and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, feeling self-conscious.

"Umm, I need to change the bandage on my shoulder so - I'm heading for the toilet."

"Your shoulder? Can you reach it with one arm? Is it not at the back?"

"Well ..." _Well idiot, I can't possibly half-strip here and get you to help me now could I?_

Loki stopped massaging his eye. "Why don't I help you with that?"

_Apparently I can._

Clearing her throat, she went back and perched herself at the edge of the couch. Loki frowned.

"You do realize you need to sit closer for me to help you."

She bit her lip. Suddenly she felt like she was back on her first high-school date all over again.

She moved, just one inch closer. There was an exasperated exhale from behind, and then strong arms grabbed hold of her shoulders and pulled her back. She gave a little yelp as she landed in his lap.

Loki chuckled. "You're not shy, are you? We _have_ done more than this."

She was glad that her back was to him and he could not see that her cheeks were aflamed.

Hesitantly she slipped part of her T-shirt down past her left shoulder, exposing the injury.

Behind her Loki said nothing. Instead, smooth fingers brushed the nape of her neck as he scooped her brown tresses over the other shoulder. She tilted her head a little to help him out.

She could feel him peeling the old bandage off. His touch was careful and soft, gentle as he maneuvered around the wound. It was silence for several minutes as he worked. She winced a little when he put the ointment on.

"Wouldn't it be good if you had a distraction about now?" she heard him murmur.

Kyra's whole body froze.

 _What does that mean?_ her mind screamed. _Is he going to kiss me? Again??? Or does he want me to kiss him? Is this a subtle hint?_

_What on Earth does he mean???_

She wanted nothing better than to ask him what he meant. Yet she was afraid of the answer. Her nerves were all tensed up as her brain scrabbled furiously to work out all the possible meanings. 

In the end she only reached a hand across and grabbed the remote control on the table.

"Yeah, good idea. Let's watch some TV."

She flicked to a random channel. _MTV_. The program played and she arched both eyebrows.

_Seriously?_

Loki frowned. "Isn't that the mortal that acts as me for your Midgard movie?"

"Tom Hiddleston. Yes."

"What in Bor's name is he _doing?"_

Onscreen, dressed in a white shirt and a black outer garment, the handsome British actor was speaking.

_"There's no caffeine in it."_

Opposite him the bespectacled MTV host frowned.

_"What do you mean?"_

The actor let out a chuckle. _"It's a decaf. I took the caffeine out."_ He looked immeasurably proud of himself. _"I decaf-ed it. Decaffenaito."_

The host gave an awkward grin. _"Wow. Um. Nice. You got me."_

 _"You're gonna get so sleepy later."_ The delighted grin grew wider. _"Decaf? And you need caffeine!"_

Loki arched an eyebrow as the actor burst into raucous laughter right in the host's face.

 _"It's a prank!"_ He laughed even louder. _"You'll be so sleepy! You're not gonna be able to stay awake! You're gonna look like such an ass!"_

On the couch, both of Loki's eyebrows shot sky-high as the actor crowed loudly at the camera,

_"Loki'd!"_

Kyra squeezed her eyes shut, for some reason feeling extremely embarrassed on behalf of the actor. She reached for the remote control, but Loki was strangely enthralled, and told her to leave it. He watched the entire video, not making a single comment, restraining himself, and only when the video finally ended did he burst out,

" _What in Hel was that?"_

"Well, it's - " She fumbled for several seconds, before finally finishing lamely, "a Midgard thing."

"Did anyone tell you that your Midgard things are completely ridiculous?" He was back to taping the bandage on. "So is it a trend then?"

Without warning he leaned close, his breath tickling her ear.

" _Have you been Lanced?"_

His words, laden with that sly mischief that she had grown to know so well, send another wave of warmth rushing up her cheeks. _Damn, I haven't blushed this much since Kevin confessed._

Shaking her hair back she scoffed loudly, "Lanced, my head! And now if you'll excuse me, I need to go to _bed._ "

_Hmm, it rhymes._

She hadn't even fully risen up from the couch when Loki grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her back down.

"Wait," he said. Reaching somewhere behind him he pulled out a blue, beribboned box. It was long and rectangular.

"Here." He handed it over and she took it.

"What's this?"

Loki looked rather proud. "A present."

Kyra stared. "For me?"

He rolled his eyes. "I am not quite that desperate to be procuring gifts for myself mortal. _Yes,_ it is for you. You should be honoured. Go on, open it."

More than a little surprised, and with that familiar waves of butterflies undulating in her stomach, she opened it.

Lying in neat little trenches of their own, were five identical spectacles, the lenses all framed in the same shade of beautiful green. Above each pair of glasses was a small white label, inscribed with a three-digit number, arranged from smallest to highest.

Kyra gaped as Loki scratched the nape of his neck. It was the first time she was seeing him looking a little awkward.

"Apparently glasses each have a specific _power ..._ I had no idea what yours is, and when I asked around at the office they gave me mixed answers. _But,_ I did managed to deduce that the range was between 400 and 500, so that's what I bought." He pointed at each pair as he spoke. "400, 425, 450, 475 and 500."

"But - why?"

"You can't survive on Frigga's magic forever." He smiled, that twinkle she so loved sparking in his eyes. "I noticed that you were running low. And I picked the green ones of course." His grin grew wider. "That way I can still keep haunting you even after I return back to Asgard. Whoooooo ..."

His words sent a jolt as something fell deep and buried itself inside the pit of her stomach.

_Of course. He was staying here - to go back there wasn't he?_

She turned her head away a little on the pretext of admiring the glasses so he couldn't tell what she was feeling. "But where did you get the money?"

"I sold my Asgardian outfit."

Her head whipped right back up. "You didn't!"

He nodded. "I did indeed. Turns out it's quite the rare collector's item. I still have some left over money in case you were wondering." He winked. "It seems I really _am_ rich after all."

He directed his attention back to the glasses. "Well go on. Try it. I want to see. What power is it?"

She picked up the third one, the one labeled 450. She tried them on and just as quickly took them off.

"Urgh. I have perfect vision now, so the spectacles just messes up my vision. I'll try them tomorrow. The magic should have worn off by then."

"Dagnabit. I wanted to see. I bet you look good in them. After all, I always did have impeccable taste."

She rolled her eyes, placing the glasses back in the box and putting the lid back on gently. "Thank you," she said looking up. "It's very thoughtful of you."

"But of course. I'm your boyfriend aren't I?" Another wink. 

Seeing the rose red shade creeping up her cheeks he teased, "You were just Lanced, were you not? You were Lanced! _Lanced_!" He gave a whoop, and punched the air. "The mortal Kyra Pierce was Lanced!"

_Man am I going to miss you._

Out loud she only said "shut up!", half-laughing, pushing him off the couch. As she did so, her eye caught sight of the Sceptre, that since the first day of its arrival had been leaning against the wall near the television, disregarded and unused. 

She had asked about it the first morning - _after you slept with him in the same bed_ , that little voice in her head couldn't resist commenting - and Loki had explained that that was the instrument to grant all her wishes. The Sceptre was bounded to her now, and would listen to her and her only. 

_Just place your hand over the Sceptre and tell it your wish. It will grant it with immediate effect._

Now she jerked her head at it and said, "Get me the Sceptre, would you?"

Loki stopped his ribbing. "Why for?"

She smiled. "Because I'm about to make my first wish."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for those of you who are interested in the mega adorable TH video :  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eto8a9vGsZs


	23. Of Glory & Gold

" **JUST** place my hands over the crystal and say my wish?"

"Correct."

With Loki sitting opposite her on the couch, and the Sceptre pulsing dimly in between them, Kyra lifted her hands up and palmed the jewel. She was about to utter her wish when -

_You could make him stay._

She paused. It was that little voice in her head again. It seemed to have rather the affinity for popping up at wrong places and saying all the wrong things.

Because of course now it had her thinking. Thinking about the three wishes she had, thinking about all the _possibilities ..._

_You could wish for him to always be by your side. To stay with you, to care for you, to make you happy._

_To love you._

"What's wrong?" Loki's voice cut through her thoughts, shaking her out of her reverie.

She looked into his curious green eyes.

"One question," she asked, her hands pulling away from the Sceptre and onto her lap. "I can really wish for anything?"

Loki snapped his fingers. "Ah, I forgot to tell you. You can't really wish for anything you want. There are a few conditions. First being that the wish must not harm, and second being that your wishes must be clear, concise and concrete."

She frowned. "Meaning?"

"It must have parameters. It can't be abstract. For example, you can't just wish for world peace. What _is_ world peace? Most importantly, what is _your_ definition of world peace? That all wars end? That people understand each other? You must tell the Sceptre exactly what you mean. Example, instead of wishing for world peace, you have to say _I wish that all wars would end and that people will always treat each other as equals._ Something like that."

"So ... can I make people fall in love?"

"Again, you must give it a definition. Example, _I wish that he will stay by side forever, to support me and care for me, to protect me from harm_ etc etc. Define your wish."

"Ah. Okay. I see."

Loki nodded. "So are you ready?"

Kyra looked down at the jewel. Even in its diminished state she could feel the power that was emanating from this extraordinary weapon. In its fully restored state it must have been quite the terrifying sight to behold.

"Alright. Here goes nothing."

She placed her hands on the crystal and intoned, out loud -

"I wish that the whole world would know the true face of Nathan Wilde, which is that he's an irresponsible husband that cheated on his wife, and then abandoned the other woman and her child, refusing to take moral responsibility on them, plus sending thugs after them to make sure they stay silent."

She said this all in one breath, and watched as the crystal underneath her beamed a sudden glare. There was a distant ringing in her ears. As quickly as the light came it disappeared, leaving behind a dim glow once more.

Loki arched an eyebrow, seemingly impressed. "An extremely clear and comprehensible definition. I'm amazed you were able to say that all without breaking for air."

"Yeah well, I hope it works. Once the news get out Jennifer should be okay, right? She'd get help and all? I didn't wish for her part, because - well, Nathan being exposed will start off a chain reaction right?"

"Correct. You wish is like the first drop of rainwater in a still puddle. It's bound to send out ripples. Vast ripples."

"Okay. Good. Because I am _not_ going to waste another wish on this."

Loki chuckled and couldn't help teasing. "I thought you wanted to wish for glory and gold? To become a rich little millionaire?"

"Journalist," Kyra corrected him. "I want to become a rich and famous journalist. And yeah you're right. Haven't you heard of saving the best for the last? Trust me, I am _so_ going to wish for that when the time comes. I only wished for this because, well, Nathan sent men to beat me up. That's rude. Extremely impolite. I've got a personal grudge against him now."

Loki scoffed, loud. "Indeed you do. Of course this has nothing to do at all with the fact that you sincerely wanted to help Jennifer and Judy."

Kyra gave a mock gasp of horror. "Of course not! How can a journalist be so soft?"

She pointed a determined finger his way and narrowed her eyes. "For the rest of the wishes, _I'm_ going to wish for so many luxuries that even Jennifer Lopez will be jealous of me!"

Loki raised an eyebrow. "Another Midgard thing?"

"You got that right."

They sat there in silence for awhile, watching the dim glow of the Sceptre resonating. Kyra was especially entranced by it for some reason. When she finally managed to tear her eyes away from it and looked up, it was to see that Loki was staring at her.

"What?"

He smiled, and it was a soft, gentle curve of the lips. "Nothing."

For some reason that single word set off the butterflies again.

"Well," she said, slapping her hands against the top of her thighs, "we should probably get some sleep. Work day tomorrow you know."

"Indeed. Especially after today's events, I think we all deserve a good night's rest."

"Second that."

They got up from couch. Since the first day she'd managed to get together a proper sleeping arrangement - which was her in her bedroom and Loki on the living room couch, the very one that they had been sitting on.

Loki headed off to the toilet while she walked on to her bedroom. Before she entered she paused at the doorway and turned back around.

"Loki?"

He looked. "Yes?"

"Can you ..." she trailed off.

_Can you stay?_

_Can you be my boyfriend for real?_

"Yes?" he waited.

"...turn off the hall light? Yeah, that switch over there. Thanks."

"No problem. Goodnight - Kyra."

She smiled. She liked the way her name rolled off his tongue.

"Goodnight Loki."

**_* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *_ **

Frigga, wife of Odin and Queen of Asgard, placed a pleading arm on her husband's shoulder.

"Is this not proof? That Loki has changed?"

Odin kept quiet and said nothing. Standing before him was the dark and silent Bridgekeeper - Heimdall. He was the one that had send forth the news of what had happened at Midgard, along with proof.

A small metal ball was clasped in Odin's hand, its outer surface covered in silver leaves. A touch, at a certain spot, had made the ball crack in half, spilling out blue light. This blue light formed a holographic screen in the air, a screen that was currently showing a video.

A video shot from above, showing a dank, isolated alley, where a bunch of thugs were beating up two people, one man and one woman. The man was protecting the woman with his body, suffering the brunt of all the attacks.

There was audio, but the camera had been too faraway, and the only sounds picked up were the thugs' curses and the blows being dealt. It was clear to see though, that the woman was speaking to the man.

They leaned forward and kissed each other on the lips.

Odin froze the picture, at the instant when their lips touched.

"It's been barely two weeks into his exile, and already Loki is willing to do _this._ For a mortal no less! The ones that he used to claim he despise! Is this not proof that he has changed?"

Frigga's hand squeezed Odin's arm lightly. Her voice was soft.

"I miss him. My son. _Our_ son. Bring him home, Odin.

"Bring him home."

**_* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *_ **

Outside, hidden just beyond sight, just outside the royal doors, a lone figure stood, shrouded in shadow.

From inside, Frigga's words filtered out to the night air.

"Bring him home, Odin. Bring him home."

There was a sword hanging from the figure's belt, and the fingers around the hilt tightened.

As his face turned away from the doors and his steps moved the other way, a guard ran up.

"Commander - "

The figure held up a hand. "Not here."

The guard followed his superior quietly outside, away from the royal halls and to a secluded spot below the castle walls.

"Well?"

"As you ordered Commander, my men and I went to Midgard and tracked down Loki. We followed him and the mortal for eight days, and kept close watch on all their movements. Here's what we gathered so far."

Herrick took the set of papers and flicked through it, his eyes lingering on Kyra's occupation and job description.

"Oh and sir, one of the sentry drones around the palace caught this."

Esbern handed Herrick a metal ball not unlike the one Odin had been using earlier. Only this time, the holographic screen showed a woman wandering the palace grounds, with some sort of device in her hand.

This time, her voice was captured perfectly.

"Man, imagine the headlines I could make with this! I'll be instantly famous! I'll be the most famous journalist in the _world_!"

Esbern watched his commander, whose face was expressionless.

"What do we do now sir?"

Herrick said nothing for some time, just playing the video. Then he closed the ball.

"Frigga is right. Loki has changed. He's become the man Odin hoped he would be." He paused. "Even though I had my doubts at first, but - the exile worked."

Esbern frowned. "So it's over? We're done?"

Herrick looked back down at the papers Esbern had given him, which included a colored headshot of one Kyra Pierce.

"Of course we all know it's not the exile itself, not really," he said, as if he hadn't heard Esbern. "It's because of her. Kyra Pierce. The woman that changed him for the good."

A pause.

"The woman that can also change him for the worse."

And here his expressionless face broke out into a very unfriendly, very humorless smile.


	24. Of Marriage & Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there are always two sides to every coin.

**SHERRIA** burst into the workplace like her immaculate hairdo was on fire. Everyone looked up.

"Did you guys hear?" she practically shrieked. "Did you guys _hear_?"

Kyra shot Loki a look. He whispered back, "Magic usually works fast."

"W - w - what?" Eric asked.

Kyra waited, nearly holding her breath in anticipation.

"It's headline news! In every single major newspaper!"

_Hold your hats, ladies and gentlemen, here we -_

Sherria's next words exploded out of her mouth like a screeching M1919 Browning machine gun.

" _Tom Hiddleston is getting married!"_

_\- go?_

Sherria waved the newspaper in her hands wildly. "Tom Hiddleston! _My_ Tom Hiddleston! Marrying! And the girl isn't half as pretty as _me_!"

Harry rolled his eyes and went back to his work. Cecilia muffled a giggle. Kyra looked like she wanted to slap Sherria round the head.

"Is that important right now?" she snapped. _Seriously, getting my hopes up and turns out it's the wrong thing._

Just then Richard burst into the room, his beer belly jiggling dangerously, one corner of his shirt already untucked.

"Did you guys hear? The latest news?"

"Yes yes we know, Tom Hiddleston is getting married," said Harry, not even taking his eyes off the computer. "Man, I didn't know you were a fan too boss - "

"What? What Tommy? Do I know a Tommy?" Richard waved it away dismissively. "Whatever it is, I'm not talking about that!"

With an exasperated grunt he walked over to the small television that stood in the corner, muttering something along the lines of "How can I have a successful mag when my journalists don't even know the newest news ..."

He switched it on and flicked to the BBC News.

" - Nathan Wilde, was recently revealed to have had an affair with another woman, and even had a child. However, he refused to admit that the child was his and even issued death threats to ensure that the woman stayed silent ..."

The five journalists listened to the news in surprised amazement. It detailed out everything for them to hear, even showing the photos of the thugs that had been sent to threaten Jennifer. Kyra watched the two familiar photos with some satisfaction.

"Everything's out in the open now," she said to herself. "No more lies."

"All because of you," came a low murmur near her ear. She didn't even have to look, she knew who it was, and she smiled.

Leaning back a little but still keeping her eyes on the news she said, "Well you helped. A little."

"A _little?_ "

Her grin grew a little wider at the slight indignation in his voice. "Yes. Only a _little_."

She could picture him in her mind's eye, standing with his arms folded, looking miffed. What she didn't expect was his whisper by her ear,

"The glasses look fantastic on you, by the way."

Her smile couldn't seem to leave her lips. "Well, the man who bought it had good taste."

And this time she looked up at him, to see the wink he tossed her way and the smile that touched his lips.

The employees of _Tidbits_ erupted in feverish discussion after the news ended, about the hows and the whens and _who was that lucky punk that got the whole story out of Miss Jennifer?_

"I thought you said _we_ were the only ones that knew of this tip!" Cecilia complained.

"That's what the secretary told me! I just relayed his message!"

"How did they managed to persuade Miss Jennifer though?" Harry frowned. "Kyra, you met her right, and she kicked you out of the house?"

Kyra nodded. "Yep. Totally slammed the door in our faces."

"And into my foot," Loki added.

"Yeah! Exactly! She was so adamant on denying everything wasn't she?"

Again Kyra nodded. "She practically yelled at us to leave her and her daughter alone."

"And _then_ slammed the door into my foot," Loki repeated.

"Well this is not fair," Cecilia pouted, crossing her arms. "We could have been the ones to publish this big story! Now some other lucky fellow got it."

She sat there sulking. "I spent the entire day working on this you know! All the way past midnight!" She rubbed her neck, tilting it left and right. "So tired ..." A yawn.

 _Well we got beaten up_ , Kyra thought, but she didn't say anything. She hadn't told Richard what had happened and Loki's black eye had been brushed off with "Oh he's naturally clumsy, would you believe he decided to go all healthy this morning and refused to take the elevator, only to trip down the stairs?"

After a few words of encouragement from Richard and a reminder that _we shall never give up in our quest for attention-grabbing headlines!_ they all dispersed back to their cubicles for the remainder of the day. Cecilia was still grumbling on the waste of effort and as they sat down she shot Kyra a sideways look.

"You don't seem too upset. What happened to the competitive Kyra I knew? The one that almost threw a fit because she was a second away from winning a radio contest?" To Kyra's sudden alarm Cecilia whipped out a fluorescent pink gel pen and pointed it accusingly her way. " _What have you done with her?_ "

"Whoa whoa calm down. I'm still me. It's just - "

Here her eyes flickered briefly to Loki, and when she spoke, her voice soft.

"There are some things that are more important than writing attention-grabbing articles and becoming the most famous journalist in the world."

_************************ _

Around lunch hour Kyra caught Loki in the cafeteria. Guiding him over by the arm to the sink she said,

"Hey. I'm thinking of visiting Jennifer today. I want to see how she's doing. She's probably overwhelmed with everything that's going on, and a bit glad and relieved too. I want to see how she's holding up."

"Is this another journalist thing or is it a I-sincerely-want-to-help-her thing?"

She didn't answer, but just rolled her eyes and pulled him away by the sleeve of his Peter England checked slim-fit formal shirt.

They reached the apartment in less than half an hour. Kyra wasn't surprised to see the amount of reporters milling outside, all wanting to clinch an interview with Mr Nathan Wilde's mysterious other woman. She managed to squeeze halfway through, only to see that they had been stopped at the apartment entrance by the very hassled landlady.

"I told you, Ms Jennifer isn't at home! She went out a few hours ago! No, I don't know where she is. Now please leave. You're bothering the rest of my tenants!"

"I dun mind!" came a holler from above, and Kyra looked up to see a scruffy looking man with a pudgy nose leaning out of an apartment window. "The name's Russell Casse people! If ya'all come up 'ere I'd be more than willing to give ya'all my interview! Ya see, I was kidnapped by dem aliens ten years ago -"

Kyra turned to Loki and dragged him off away from the crowd. "What time is it now?"

Loki looked at his watch. "Five minutes past twelve. Why?"

"Past twelve... Jennifer has a daughter right? Six years old? She's probably picking her up at the kindergarten then! Let's go!"

They bundled into the car and Kyra dialed a number as she went into gear. "Hey Eric? You did the research on Jennifer right? What kindergarten did her daughter go to again?"

It was called Young Stars, and they reached there in twenty minutes, which was pretty impressive considering that Loki was the one reading the map on his phone and doing all the guiding.

"This is fantastic! Such a comprehensive guide to seeing the world! Look, it even points out where the traffic cameras are, so you get alerted and won't be caught speeding!"

Trust Loki to love Midgard technology because it helped him flaunt the law.

Kyra pulled into the street and went slower. As she neared the kindergarten she saw Miss Jennifer exiting the gates, holding her daughter by the hand.

"Oh look! There they are!"

She parked the car and got down, Loki following suit. She headed over to the mother and daughter, who were a few feet away and walking to their car, their backs to them. Kyra was about to call out when -

Jennifer whipped her head sideways like an angry snake and slapped Judy, sharp and vicious on the cheek.

Kyra's footsteps halted.

Jennifer raised her voice. "You will do as I say!"

Little Judy had burst into tears. Through her sobbing Kyra could hear her saying,

"I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this!"

Jennifer's voice was a vehement hiss. She looked utterly different from the weak and frail woman Kyra had seen hiding behind the door just yesterday.

"You listen to me. I will not have everything ruined because of you and your stupid little attitude!" Her voice increased in volume, growing harsher. "Ever since the beginning you've brought nothing but bad luck! Pregnancy? _Pregnancy? At the height of my career?_ You ruined everything! _You killed my social life!_ Do you know how hard it was to get a job once people knew I was a _single mother?_ It's all your fault!"

She spat her words venomously, and Kyra watched as they drove like sharp spikes into the six-year-old girl's heart.

"But since I'm stuck with _you,_ I might as well put you to good use. Especially since the whole world now knows about this. So you are going to put on a good _show._ Nathan Wilde is your real father, and you're going to act like a loving daughter. You're going to say I'm the best mum ever. And no matter what I say, even if I'm lying, you nod your head and say it's true. _Am I clear?_ "

Judy continued crying, her sobs filling the air around them. Jennifer lost her patience and screamed,

"Am I clear? Answer me!"

She raised her hand again but Kyra ran forward. She pushed Jennifer roughly aside and pulled the little girl into a tight embrace.

"How can you do this?" Her voice was a whisper, filled with horror, shock and dismay as she realized she had been duped - that the world had been duped. "You lied - you were lying all along - "

Jennifer didn't even looked the slightest bit rattled by their sudden interference. With a glare she tore Judy away from Kyra and pushed her to the other side, out of Kyra's reach.

"Oh _please._ I never lied. Judy _is_ Nathan Wilde's daughter. Go ahead, do a DNA test. I'm just claiming what's rightfully mine."

"No you're not, you're just using Judy to blackmail Nathan into coughing up!"

"And what's so wrong with that? He _is_ her father, and he should provide assistance. Why should I be the only one stuck with this burden?"

" _Stuck? Burden?_ " Kyra couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You - You're just as bad as Nathan himself!"

Jennifer scoffed. " _Nathan?_ That bloody fool? I doubt he even knows what's going on. He's always been so dumb, so soft-hearted. Do you know, back when we were in high school, he let his opponent win the grand chess finals because apparently the boy was _desperately poor and needed the prize money?_ Oh please! Who doesn't need money? He could have used it to buy a new car! Then we wouldn't have had to take the bus to the mall all the time!"

It was as if a dam had broken within Jennifer. Her tirade went on and on, gushing into Kyra's ears.

"I'm surprised he's managed to become the successful man that he is. If I'd known I'd never had broken up with him in the first place. Ah well. At least the reunion happened.

"Nathan's always been a soft-hearted idiot, so I knew if I told him I had his daughter he'd help me as much as I wanted. But then that stupid manager of his got in the way. I came to meet Nathan in his office you know, but it turns out he wasn't in. Only that manager of his. Now that was one cruel man. Told me to my face that he wasn't believing any of my crap and that I had better disappear. I was playing the part of a helpless single mother but damn did I feel like giving him a bloody piece of my mind ... he threatened to send men to watch over me, so I knew I had best lie low. But then you guys came, and I had an idea - why not go to the press? They were probably tapping my cellphone, so I used a public one instead. The journalist was also a smart one, he came up with the idea to pretend that we were long-lost relatives meeting up. That way we could chat as long as we wanted without looking suspicious."

Jennifer spread out her hands, wicked satisfaction on her face. "So here we are. I've hit the jackpot and all I had to do was play the part of innocent victim. Nathan's career's probably over, which is for the best I should say, a soft man like him wouldn't have lasted long in politics. Plus I get to kick his manager right in the ass. _La victoria es mía_."

Kyra was shaking so hard with fury. She could see the scars on the little girl's skinny arms, the bruises that hadn't even faded on her legs. The way those pale eyes looked up at her with wariness, and the way they looked at her mother with fear.

She didn't need to be a genius to see that this child had been both physically and emotionally abused.

"You're not fit to be a mother," she managed to choke out. " _How can you hurt her? Your own daughter?"_

Jennifer's eyes hardened into cold stones. Her gaze as she looked at Kyra was utterly expressionless.

Then slowly, she turned to look Judy straight in the eye. With an inhumanely cruel tone, never once breaking eye contact with her daughter, Jennifer said,

"I never wanted her anyway."

And Kyra lost it.

With a scream she launched herself at Jennifer, clawing and punching and kicking at whatever inch of this hateful woman that she could get her hands on. She was shrieking death threats and curses - she went completely hysterical, her thoughts focused only on getting Judy away from this monster, as well as dealing as much damage as she could.

_I never wanted her anyway._

It was history repeating itself and she couldn't, she just couldn't - she had been there, she knew what it was like to be abandoned and unwanted, to feel unloved and inferior, and she couldn't have Judy, this sweet little girl who was _only_ _si_ x, to go through what she had felt.

Strong arms clasped her firmly around the waist from behind, pulling her off and she fought against the hold.

" _Let me at her! Let me go!_ "

"Kyra stop - Kyra! Listen to me!"

But she wouldn't listen, and the force pulling her back intensified, until she was lifted up, kicking in empty air. She could only watch as Jennifer drew herself up straight, shot Kyra a particularly contemptuous look and took Judy away.

And she was still screaming as they got into the car, still screaming as they drove away, and she was still screaming as the hands finally let her down.

They spun her around almost immediately as her feet touched the ground, pulling her into an embrace almost as tight as the one she had given Judy. And even though at first she continued screaming and fighting, banging her fists against that mint-scented chest in front of her, demanding to know why he had not let her go, the hands continued pulling her close, not letting her slip away even as that smooth gentle voice murmured in her ear, until finally - finally, her fight dissipated and she was left with nothing but angry tears.

She cried then, anguished wailing, because it had been her fault wasn't it? To make that wish and think that everything was going to be alright, when in reality she never knew the whole story.

"It's okay. Shh, it's okay." Loki whispered, feeling her body shuddering within his arms, hearing her cry desperately into her chest. "I'm here.

"I'll always be here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes, we only see one side of the story.  
> and when we act on that, we can fk up real badly.


	25. Of Loneliness and Love

" **KYRA?** "

No answer.

"You know it isn't your fault."

No answer.

"You could not have known. We were all deceived. You, me, the world. She deceived us - all of us."

Still no answer. Loki's sigh was muffled from the other side of the bedroom door.

"At least say something? You worry me."

Still no response. His voice hardened.

"Kyra, I am not lying when I say I will break down this door if you do not give me any sign that you are still alive within the next thirty seconds."

Another bout of silence, and Loki was about to take a few steps back, preparing himself to be a human ram when -

"Just leave me alone, Loki. Please."

"You can't seriously be expecting me to listen to that?"

"I - I need some time alone. I need to think."

A short pause. "Okay. Take your time. I'll be staying out here - "

"No." He could almost hear her shaking her head. "I want to be alone _alone._ Just me. _Please_ Loki, please. I don't want to see anyone, I just want it to be myself. _Go_."

He could hear the desperate plea in her voice, as if she was on the verge of breaking down.

They had drove back to Kyra's apartment directly after. She said not a single word during the journey back, and the haunted look in her eyes had his heart jumping once in awhile to his throat. He knew she was remembering, comparing herself to Judy, because he knew in her mind's eye she saw six-year-old Judy as what she could have been if she had been brought up by her biological mother.

Once they entered the apartment she went straight to her bedroom, and had stayed there ever since.

The way she had gone hysterical earlier was scored in his brain. He could replay every single detail - the sound of her screams, the pain in her voice, the helplessness in her eyes. He was shocked and beyond worried, he didn't want to see her like this ever again.

So he didn't persist like how he normally would have done.

"Alright." He stood up. He patted the pocket of his trousers and was relieved to find that _it_ was still there.

"I'm heading back to the office to tell Richard that you're taking a day off. I'll be back for dinner with some really really good food. Sushi perhaps, with your favorite wine? If you want me to come back earlier just call - I'm your boyfriend after all, I'll come flying."

She didn't even respond to that, just a small "Okay" was what he heard. He was so tempted, so _so_ tempted to break the door down and pull her into his arms, but she had made it clear she needed space.

So rather reluctantly, with a longing glance backward at the bedroom door, he headed out of the apartment.

_***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _

From inside Kyra could hear the front door slam, the sound echoing all around the now empty house. She had thought having Loki leave would give her some time alone with her thoughts, and maybe calm down, but instead the sound of the door slamming make her feel like bursting into a fresh bout of tears.

 _Man, women really_ do _mean the opposite of what they say._

She sat there for maybe ten minutes more, silent and unmoving, lost in her thoughts that kept blaming herself, lost in remembering Judy crying, lost in hearing Jennifer's words rebounding and resonating in her ears.

_I never wanted her anyway._

These were the words Jennifer had told Judy.

These were the words her mother had told her teacher.

_I never wanted her anyway._

To Kyra not only did she fail to save little Judy, she also failed to save the younger version of herself.

_***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _

Loki burst into the office as if someone had told him he'd ran out of hair gel.

"People! I have news!" He ran past the cubicles, tapping urgently on everyone's table to get their attention as he flew past to Richard's office. "We might just get our attention-grabbing headline this time!"

Within minutes Richard was out of the office and everyone was gathered around Loki. Without further ado he reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

He searched for recordings. There was only one file inside.

To be honest he felt rather proud of himself. His quick thinking and reflexes were something he'd always known of course, but to think he would also be creative enough to figure out _and_ use Midgard technology....

_Sometimes I surprise myself._

He pressed "play".

Jennifer's voice was instantly recognizable.

" _Oh_ _please._ _I never lied. Judy_ _is_ _Nathan Wilde's daughter. Go ahead, do a DNA test. I'm just claiming what's rightfully mine."_

_"No you're not, you're just using Judy to blackmail Nathan into coughing up!"_

The _Tidbits_ employees listened to the recording, and the shock soon gave way to incensed outrage. Even Sherria looked disgusted. Dirty tricks amongst adults was one thing, but to drag in an innocent _child ..._

"She can't get away with this! She's not even fit to be a mother - if that's the case I'd rather Nathan take custody of Judy!"

"It's clear Nathan has no idea what's going on - probably the news article was the first inkling he had. I bet the manager knew Nathan wouldn't be strong enough to stand up to Jennifer, so he took matters into his own hand instead."

"We have to expose her!"

The discussion was fervent among them as they decided on the best way to make a splash and how to go about doing it. At this point Loki interrupted them by saying his job was now over and he wanted to go home -

"But Loki you can't go! You're a key witness in this, we need you around - if we're planning to take this further you need to be here!"

He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at his phone. He should really be getting home to her ...

But then again she hadn't called. And he'd only left her for fifteen minutes, maybe she needed a longer time to compose herself? He did say he would be back around dinner, and now it was only 1 pm.

Plus if he did this right it would be a great comfort to her.

With that last thought in mind his resolve strengthened. He was doing this for her after all, he had to make sure everything went right.

"Okay. What do you need me to do?"

As Loki bustled around with the rest of the journalists,one thought kept popping into his mind.

_I can't wait for this exile to be over so I can go back to Asgard._

Not to stay there, no.

But to tell Odin he had found his true home.

Right here on Midgard, right next to her.

The first - and only - girl that had stolen his heart.

_***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _

After about ten minutes of just sitting there she couldn't take it any longer. One thing because it was getting kind of hot and stuffy in here, second - she really _really_ needed to pee.

She got up and went about her business, her mind still dead to the world. It woke up just enough to help her make the coffee and heat up some toast. She was just setting her plate down on the table when there came a ring at the door.

_Loki._

She felt a sense of relief. She hadn't realize how much she depended on him, how safe and secure having him by her side felt.

All things that would only serve to cut her inside when he finally left.

She shook her head, heading over to the door. _Don't think about it. It's only been what - ten days? He has a month here right? That means twenty days more. Many things can happen in twenty days._

She opened the door, her mouth already ajar to call out his name.

A bow, one of immense flourish, and a pleasant voice.

"Hello, Lady Kyra. Do you remember me?"

And Herrick smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no


	26. Of Doubt And Death

**HERRICK** sat at the table, his eyes roaming idly about the place. It seemed to be nothing more than a casual glance here and there, but he was taking everything in. The pillow and neatly folded blanket on the couch. The cutlery on the drying rack, enough for two. The newspaper cuttings on one side of the wall, half of which were written by Kyra, half of which were written by her journalism idols. And of course, the Scepter lying innocently on the table.

Kyra walked over with the coffee. 

"Why thank you Lady Kyra." Herrick took a sip of the dark beverage and blinked a few times. "Wow, you mortals do like your drinks to be sweet!"

"Oh did I put in too much sugar? Loki likes his sweet so - here, have mine. It's black."

She pushed her cup forward. "So what brings you here today?"

Herrick sipped from his cup, then placed it back down on the table top with a light clink.

Looking Kyra dead in the eyes he said,

"I'm here to bring Loki home."

For a moment Kyra forgot how to breathe. She had watched the lips moved and heard the words, but they made no sense in her head, none at all, because -

"I - I thought he was supposed to be here for one month?"

"Well the King and Queen has been very pleased with his exemplary behavior so far. They are of the opinion that he has changed over a new leaf, and hence has decided to shorten his sentence. Isn't that great news?"

Here Herrick ventured a smile, but it came out more as a forced and pained grimace.

"But - now? Like now _now_?"

Herrick sipped more of his coffee. "It's rather up to Loki really. He's done his part here on Midgard. I can bring him home anytime he wants - unless of course, he wishes to stay here. " Herrick laughed. "Which I really doubt."

Something about his words and laugh irked Kyra. 

"What's so bad about staying here?" she said defensively. 

Herrick looked surprised that she would even be asking such a question. "Because it's _Loki_. He's a man that looks down on mortals. And even if he might have changed, some things don't go away that easily - they certainly don't just disappear in the span of ten days."

His eyes narrowed at her, sharp and sudden. "Lady Kyra, forgive me for asking such a personal question, but are you - perhaps - in love with him?"

Kyra blinked. The question caught her entirely off guard and she opened her mouth, to deny and say something, but no words came.

Herrick's eyes darted around the room, and his voice lowered to a hush. 

"I did not want to say this, because after all soon he will be leaving and there will be no point, but there are some things you must know."

From somewhere he pulled out a silver metal ball.

"You remember I told you that I disagreed with the King's and Queen's decision of sending him to Midgard for his exile? Do you know why Lady Kyra? Most importantly, do you know _why_ he even needed to be sent to exile in the first place?"

She finally found her voice. "Because he did something wrong."

"Wrong doesn't even began to cover it. Do you know _what_ exactly did he did?"

She racked her brain, trying to remember the movie. But that was some time ago, and again she hadn't been paying much attention ...

"This, Lady Kyra. He did this."

And Herrick squeezed the metal ball lightly. The leaves unfolded, projecting a holographic screen to the air, that showed - 

Death. Destruction.

Kyra watched as a _huge_ metal robot, armour tipped with spikes, laid waste to the New Mexico desert. She watched as it flung innocent civilians across the length of several dozen metres, as if they were no more than rag dolls. She watched it kill and maim and decimate.

Most of all, she watched Loki, guiding its movements from Asgard. She heard the laugh, the laugh that was not just pure mischief as she had thought, but filled with unadulterated evil. She saw the maniacal glint in his eyes, the bloodlust pulsating through his veins. 

_He was a monster._

"Stop," she said, her voice cracking, even as the horrified tears rolled down her cheeks.

But Herrick ignored her. The video switched, turning to Loki battling Thor at the bridge, spiting him, taunting him, threatening to go after Jane Foster. Mocking him for becoming soft, because he had fallen in love, and was now defending the mortals. 

_A monster._

" _Stop._ "

But Herrick didn't. Now Loki was meeting with the blue-skinned Laufey, revealing himself to be the traitor inside the House of Odin, that allowed the three Jotuns to enter and wreck havoc. He promised the Jotun King that he would conceal him and his soldiers, and let them into the royal chambers, where Laufey could slay Odin - the Asgard King. His stepfather.

"I said _stop_!" She stood up, her hand reaching out and slapping the ball away and off the table, to the floor. It rolled to a stop, its leaves closing, the screen blinking out.

She was trembling, shaking. And in her mind she replayed back the scene in the dungeon, where Loki had did one of his illusions, spitting out those malicious words. She'd told herself that he didn't mean them, that he had just been hurt by the memories of his past ... but what if they were true? What if they were his true feelings?

_Because that is what I intend to do. To rule your world, along with the other realms. To be made king of you insipid Earthlings! That is the fate of your race. That is the fate of you - Kyra Pierce._

Could a man change, in the span of ten days? To give up all his hatred for mortals, to give up his lust for power, to give up his love of destruction, to give up his very nature of evilness - in _ten days_?

Could a man do that?

Could Loki?

He was, after all, the God of Evil.

_And soon, I will be the monster Midgard parents talk about as well. Do you know why? Because no matter how changed Odin might see me be, I am not. I will never be changed._

_I cannot be changed!_

Herrick rose. "Now you see why I do not trust him. For all you know, he could be putting on an act. Deceiving the King and Queen, deceiving you. Believe when I say that this is not the first time."

"He - he's genuine. He's not - he's not lying ..." Her words trailed off.

How sure was she about that? 100%? 50%?

Or - not at all?

"No matter. I plan to keep a careful eye on him when he returns to Asgard. If he lies, we will take the necessary precautions at once. 

"Either way - he is going home."

Herrick watched Kyra carefully. "You do know he cannot stay? Not because we order him to return, but because of what he feels as well?"

"What - what do you mean?"

"To him, Midgard will forever be inferior to Asgard. He might no longer see mortals as puny creatures deserved to be crushed under his feet - but of course he could be faking his change of heart, again we do not know - but you see, Loki is a man of magic. Magic is what completes him, and makes him whole. Already you know he is not a warrior like his brother. Magic is what gives him the edge, is what makes him different. Magic is special to him, because it is the one talent his brother does not possess. Hence, he treasures it greatly. It makes him feel as if he is not so - unworthy.

"So to be forever separated from magic will be impossible to him! Yet that is what he needs to do if he wishes to remain at Midgard. There is no place for magic here among mortals, and he knows it. So if he's confronted with the decision to choose between Midgard and Asgard, what do you think he will do?"

Kyra said nothing. 

Herrick gathered his things, preparing to leave. 

"I hoped you used those three wishes wisely Lady Kyra. Because when Loki leaves, that is all you will have left. So whatever dreams you want to fulfill, whatever materialistic desires you wish to acquire - do it now. 

"Because after this, all you will have left will be useless memories."

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She sat numb, on the table. The clock struck 2, Herrick had left some time ago. 

_I hoped you used those three wishes wisely Lady Kyra._

Use wisely? She'd barely even begin to scratch the surface of her bucket list! And she'd only use one wish so far - and what had she done?

She had further ruined a little girl's life.

Kyra glanced over at the Sceptre standing in the corner. She could use it now, she could say a wish and turn Judy's life around ... make it better ...

_There you go again, thinking of others. What about yourself? And are you sure your wish won't backfire again - like it did the last time?_

The little voice was speaking, speaking, a sibilant whisper of self-doubt circulating in her head.

_Why do you bother? There are so many other abused and helpless children in the world. Are you going to save them all? Use all your wishes - on them? What about you? The fame you have been tirelessly seeking for so long, the glory and the gold?_

_Loki gets to go back to his home, celebrated and rejoiced in a royal parade at his successful improvement of character. And what about you? Sitting alone in your apartment, your life no different from before he entered, still fame-less, still riches-less, still a struggling journalist trying to make ends meet._

_Only difference now is you have them - those useless memories, and the bitter taste of rejection on your tongue._

_Because does Loki even feel the slightest bit like the way you feel? Are you worth him leaving his home, his family, and his magic behind - just to have you? A mortal?_

The little voice changed to Loki's.

_Do you think a god will truly, willingly, associate himself with a lowly peasant girl that sits at the bottom of society's ladder?_

She knew the answer to that.

Her eyes fell on her opened laptop. The one where, just a few days ago, she had transferred all her photos and videos of Loki and Asgard into. The one where she had been planning to write an article that would catapult her into her fame. The one where, this morning, she had changed her mind, and had been planning on pressing "delete".

She walked over to it, a sudden urgency in her movements, and started up the computer. She accessed the media files titled "Asgard", then pulled up a blank Microsoft Word document.

She paused. 

_All you will have left will be useless memories._

Her fingers started to type.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof :(


	27. Of Bingo & Betrayal

" **ALRIGHT,** people! That's a wrap! The next morning when all of this hits the news, _Tidbits_ will go down as _the most epic_ magazine in all of journalism history!"

There were loud whoops and cheers. 

"Good work everyone. I'm giving you guys an early dismissal today, and a day off tomorrow." Richard winked and there were more cheers. 

"Hey Lance, so you wanna grab dinner with us?" Harry asked as he took his coat. "Celebration dinner, y'all!"

Loki grinned. "No, I'm good. I have to get back to Kyra."

"Now that's a sweet boyfriend," Cecilia teased. "Harry was never that good to me when I was sick."

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize that staying up all night with a damp cloth to tend to your fever two months ago or being patient with all your tantrums during your period wasn't good enough for you - "

Cecilia laughed and pushed him playfully in the shoulder. "I'm just teasing. We're getting married the day after tomorrow anyway - you'll have a lifetime to serve me after that."

Harry pulled a long face and groaned. 

"Lance, you had better come to my wedding and give me some moral support, or I might just walk out on the whole thing."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Loki's grin grew into a laugh. "Day after tomorrow right? I've got it marked down on my calendar. Definitely attending!"

"Alright! See you around, Lance! I hope Kyra's cold gets better soon!"

They all marched out of the office together, and parted ways in the front of the building. Loki watched as the van drove off. _Now where can I get a public bus -_

"I see you've made some new friends. Aren't they a little below your usual standards?"

Without looking, he already knew who the speaker was. 

"Well they're _certainly_ much better company than the current one," he said pleasantly, as he turned around.

Herrick stood at the corner of the pavement, a briefcase in hand, the other tucked into his trouser pocket. 

"Let's have a talk shall we?"

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They sat at a little metal table, outside a small bustling cafe. The moment Loki sat down, he asked bluntly, 

"What do you want, Herrick?"

"Oh, let me see. A cup of black coffee perhaps, and a bagel. You?"

Loki narrowed his eyes. He didn't quite like this new Herrick, especially the expression he was wearing. It was a very familiar sight to him, he had seen it in the mirror when Odin had fallen into Odinsleep - it was a look that spelled _now all my plans are coming into fruition._

He waited for Herrick to order, and waited some more for the order to arrive. Nothing betrayed his impatience, saved for the light drumming of his fingers against the table top. 

"Enough games, Herrick. What is it you want?"

Herrick took a bite of the bagel and didn't speak until he had swallowed it. He placed his briefcase on the table and opened it, messing around it for awhile. Loki arched an eyebrow when he saw that Herrick too, had a handphone.

"Somebody's trying to get into the Midgard life now huh?"

The palace guard shrugged. "Just a few things Esbern got for me. To better fit in when I pay this call."

"And why are you paying this call, exactly?"

Herrick stopped messing about his briefcase but left it open. He steepled his fingers.

"The King and Queen has agreed to let you return to Asgard." There was the slightest tone of begrudging reluctance in his voice. 

Loki's eyes lit up and he couldn't help the excitement that crept into his voice. "Truly? They have called for an early halt to my exile?"

"Indeed. His Royal Majesty feels that you have changed, truly, for the better. " Herrick's eyes narrowed into slits. "Is he right?"

Loki smiled. _Aha. A perfect opportunity to do some mischief._

"You'll never know, would you?" He spread his arms wide, gesturing to all of himself. "Loki, the God of Mischief and Trickery. You'll never know what my motives are. Am I genuine? Am I faking it? Who knows?"

"Fine. Keep your thoughts to yourself. But I'm warning you, if you even _think_ about resuming evil, I'll - "

"What? Kill me? You're not the only man to have told me that." He winked. He felt euphoric - finally, he was free! Free from the punishment, and most of all, free to be with her. 

"Are we going to back to Asgard? Now?"

"If you wish to. Your exile has already ended."

Loki stood up, clapping his hand on the table. "Alright. Let us leave then."

Herrick's eyebrows flew sky-high. "Are you not going to bid goodbye to the mortal?"

He shrugged. "Why should I?" A pause. He rather relished the thought of Herrick's face as he dropped the bombshell.

"I'm coming back."

Herrick frowned. "What do you mean?"

A casual rolling motion of the shoulders. "You were right. I _have_ formed an attachment to Midgard. Which is why you should be glad! You won't be seeing my face very much in the Asgardian palace anymore. I'll be spending most of my time here."

He pondered. "You know, it is rather good that Thor was made King," he mused. "If I was King I wouldn't be able to come and go to Midgard as much as I like. Funny how life turns out."

He looked back at Herrick, expecting him to gape open-mouthed or be flabbergasted. Instead, the palace guard was shaking his head slowly and looking at him with immense pity.

"You mean you do not know? Or do you forgive her? I doubt the latter, considering the degree of her - _betrayal._ "

_Something was amiss._

Loki's eyebrows knitted together. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Instead of replying Herrick only reached into the opened briefcase and pulled out an Asgardian flying drone. Loki had seen them before, small silver balls that zipped and whirred past walls, keeping an eye out for everything, missing nothing.

A press on the clasp would trigger the drone's video feed - 

\- which was dated the afternoon of the Elska Ball, after Kyra had visited him in the dungeons. 

_"Man, imagine the headlines I could make with this! I'll be instantly famous! I'll be the most famous journalist in the world!"_

Loki saw what she was doing, and knew what it meant. After all, he himself had done it just earlier this afternoon, except that his was just audio. 

He was a bit surprised, he hadn't known that Kyra had been taking photos and videos of Asgard. And the words she said - she couldn't have meant them surely. She knew this was his home, exposing Asgard would meant betraying _him_ , and weren't lovers _not_ supposed to do that?

Or was this another Midgard thing?

She couldn't have done it, surely.

"She did it, you know," Herrick spoke. "She used all the photos and videos she took; she's planning to go public with everything, revealing us. Of course the King doesn't know anything of this, but I'm planning to tell him soon. We'll have to take steps ... we trusted Jane Foster and she didn't betray us, so we thought this mortal Lady Kyra would be the same. Unfortunately not."

Loki's eyes narrowed. "Liar."

Herrick shrugged. "You want to wait here at Midgard to see tomorrow's newspapers? She could have send them already for all I know. Last I saw her she was typing away on her computer."

All thoughts of betrayal fled Loki's mind and he half got up from his chair. 

"You met Kyra? _Alone_?" His voice was a snarl.

"Calm down. I only went there to find you. Naturally she invited me in and we had some tea, but that was all that happened. If you think I'm about to start fraternizing with the enemy of Asgard you're gravely mistaken."

" _Enemy of Asgard -_ you certainly didn't treat her like an enemy from the way your wolfish eyes looked at her the night of the Elska Ball! And do you even have proof?"

Herrick scoffed. "I am a practitioner of justice. I _always_ have evidence to back up my claims."

He reached back into his briefcase again. Earlier, when Kyra had knocked the silver ball to the ground, Herrick hadn't pick it up. Instead, he'd nudged it with his foot until it rolled to a gentle stop near a table - on top of which was Kyra's laptop.

Herrick might not be about three thousand years old, but he was old enough to know a few certain things. Like trusting his instinct. Or that people tended to do rash and reckless things when they were upset, even things they knew they would regret later on.

_Let us hope I upset her enough._

He swiped a few strokes on the holographic screen of the silver ball he was holding. 

_Aha._

"I left a security drone in her apartment so I would know the instant she decided to go public. Because no matter how much you refuse to believe it Loki, it is true. Look."

The security drones were all connected to each other in a large efficient system, so one drone could access the other's files. Herrick was now using his drone to access the files of the drone in Kyra's apartment. He had pulled up the video feed from the time he left and they all saw it - Kyra typing away furiously, almost dementedly, on the laptop.

Herrick zoomed in. "Look, you can almost see the photos in clear detail. My my, is that a photo of _you_ , Loki?"

And Kyra's voice, ghosting past in Loki's head - 

_I want to become a rich and famous journalist._

Herrick never stopped speaking. "She was using you, Loki. From the moment you stepped onto Midgard and met her, from the moment she heard of your story, the little cogs in her brain started spinning. _Hmmm, what is the best deal I can make out of this? Sure, I can just take the three wishes and go, but what if I could do more?_

"She's a journalist! A human bloodhound. Her job specializes in extracting as much information as she can, to create the most sensational news. All for glory and gold. And she's certainly struck the jackpot this time hasn't she?"

Herrick's voice became even more hissing and persuading. "A god, Loki. _You are a god._ A living specimen! Gods are real! Magic is real! Imagine the uproar it will unleash on Midgard! Imagine the people, all seeking for more and more answers, more and more information; those greedy little mortals with their never-ending taste for the unknown. _Curiosity._ And who gets more curious than a journalist?

"She was using you Loki. _And you fell for her_. _You fell in love._ I thought you were dumb, but really, this takes it to a whole new level."

_How many times have I said that I was her boyfriend? Did she ever, for once, said it back?_

Loki stood up, sudden and curt. His hands were unknowingly clenched into fists. 

"Wait for me. I have - business to settle."

Herrick leaned back in the metal chair lazily. "Going to grovel at her feet, begging for answers are we?"

Loki didn't even flinch. He strode away and off the pavement, into the busy streets and into the crowd.

Herrick smiled.

_Line up the letters my friend, and what do we have? B - I - N - G - Oh, we just need one more to make a bingo!_

_Where oh where, is the letter O?_

His smile grew wider as he let out a dark chuckle and sipped his cup of black, black coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sikes


	28. Of Trust & Truth

**HE** inserted the key into the doorknob. Kyra had made a spare one for him. It went in and he turned it, feeling the mechanism inside unlock.

Now all he had to do was to press down on the silver handle.

He hesitated.

One could see the apprehension in his eyes, in the way his jaw was clenched, in the emotionless expression dressing his face.

After a heartbeat he pushed down on the handle and entered the apartment. The first thing he realized was the light sound of water from somewhere in Kyra's bedroom. She was showering, which meant she was probably out of the funk he had left her in. Which was good.

_Of course she's no longer depressed, she's hit the golden jackpot with her article now, hasn't she?_

The second thing he saw was the laptop, opened on the kitchen table.

He was too far to see the screen, and besides, it was tilted at an angle away from him. But he could see that it was lit up.

Slowly, almost as if in a trance, he walked over to it. His fingers reached out, brushing the metal surface of the laptop.

He hadn't really believed what Herrick said. There had to be a rational explanation, surely. And for all he knew that video was faked or - or acted by someone else to fool him - after all the face wasn't clear, one had only seen the back. And though it had look like Kyra, it might not have been.

She couldn't have betrayed him, surely?

He spun the laptop around to face him.

And saw himself, dressed in a formal shirt, sitting in a cubicle. Kyra must have taken this when he wasn't looking, in the office.

Underneath the photo was the headline - "Legend in Disguise".

And next thing he knew he had ran his eyes all over the article, not really reading, but reading enough to register the words _Asgard, God, Loki, exile, magic_ and _the legends are real!_ She had wrote everything - everything - in there, with not a single piece of information left out about him. His entire history was dissected and examined in this article, written by Kyra Pierce.

There was another window opened, and he clicked on it. It directed him to her email, where she had a draft ready to be sent. Subject - "Legend In Disguise", and the recipient was one San Diego Union-Tribune.

For long seconds he just stared at it.

_So she really was planning on doing it._

_Herrick had been right._

It was a sucker punch to his gut. It felt not unlike the time Odin had told him he was adopted, though in several ways this felt worse, way worse.

She had made him trust again. Ever since the first day they met, her and her drunken yelling and proud declaring that he was her lover, and all the incidents that had happened after - their first kiss, knowing her story, seeing her fears ... he knew his heart was being stolen, bit by bit, and he let her do it, with just the barest hint of resistance, because why?

He trusted her.

He had fallen for her.

_Fallen for her lies and tricks, you mean. The God of Mischief pranked. How pathetic._

The door opened then and she came out, dressed in a shirt and shorts. Even from here he could smell the shampoo on her, that lovely scent he had long decided to name Kyra Pierce.

She saw him - then the opened laptop, and her mouth fell open. He could see the emotions flickering in her eyes like a slideshow - first surprise, then realization, then horror and guilt.

And it was the guilt that tripped him up the most, because it was a confession, an admission that she really had been using him all along.

"So. It really was all an act from the start wasn't it?" His voice was harsh to his own ears. "All done to dig out information from me, so you could get your next big scoop. What a clever mortal you are.

"And to think that I fell for it. Me, the expert in lies! How utterly pathetic."

She took a step forward, her eyes beseeching, the pleading clear in her tone.

"Loki, I can explain - "

"Explain what? That all this while you had been using me for your own means, that I was a pawn in your quest for _glory and gold,_ one useful only to fulfill your desires? Your own personal genie?" His voice rose at the end.

"It's not like that!" The tears were welling up in her eyes and she was close enough now to reach out a hand. "Loki, I - "

"Don't bother. I was a fool to trust sentiment. I was a fool to trust _you._ "

His barb cut deep and he knew it. Then without warning she started yelling back.

"What about you? You were using me too, weren't you? All since the beginning you - you were just sucking up to me and playing nice so you could go back to Asgard! Not a single thing you said and felt was true, you were just acting the part of the changed son!"

It hurt. Her words. To think that she had such little faith in him, while he never ever doubted a single thing she said.

"Is that really what you think?" His voice was on the verge of cracking. "That all this was just an act? That I never meant anything? That me being your boyfriend was never real, that the kisses we had ... were never real?"

"Well, isn't it? Aren't you the famed God of Mischief? You said so yourself, you're the _expert in lying_."

"So you never trusted me?" His voice was hollow.

Her next words were an outburst, and explosion, as if she couldn't contain it any longer.

"Herrick showed me, Loki! New Mexico, your father, the - the blue giants! You were doing all sorts of evil things, you were murdering so many innocent people! You're a - "

She stopped, but it was too late, he knew what her next word had been going to be, and it shattered his already broken heart to pieces.

"Monster," he finished, the one word nothing but an empty whisper.

"I didn't mean it." Her voice too was a low whisper. "I didn't mean it, Loki, you're not, I - "

"Save it." He was suddenly cold, very cold. All traces of anger and hurt had vanished from his face, only to be replaced by a frighteningly blank expression. "You've said enough."

He walked forward, his footsteps slow, almost menacing as he closed the distance between them. And even though it stung to see her backing up, retreating from him as if he was dangerous, he kept the hurt out of his face and out of his words.

"You're right. I'm a monster. Always have been, and always will be. I kill people. I maim and destroy." His voice was slithering, vehement. "Come to think of it, I could kill you right now and no one would know."

She stopped moving, and her face hardened, her voice growing into a sneer.

"No, you can't. It'll be a violation of the rules, and you need to go back to your precious little Asgard," she spat.

He went even closer, but she stood her ground, her gaze defiant through her teary eyes.

Then his fingers snaked out and whipped the glasses off her nose.

"You don't need something that reminds you of a monster touching your skin. So I guess this is worthless after all."

He grabbed the Scepter from the wall and walked away, not even looking back. He had reached the door when he paused.

"I stopped using you, you know. Sometime after the forehead kiss."

Gone was the hostility in his voice, all that was left was a broken facade. It hurt him so much, to walk away and leave, but it hurt even more to know that all this while, she hadn't been real, that everything was faked, that he was just a means to an end. His emotions were laid bare in every single syllable.

"And I was planning on staying here. On Midgard. I was going to tell Odin after completing my exile."

He kept his eyes fixated on the silver handle of the doorknob, afraid to look back, afraid to meet those beautiful eyes of hers.

"And I would _never_ have hurt you. Not because I was violating the terms. But because ... "

A deep, silent pause.

"I was your boyfriend after all. But I guess you never felt the same way."

He pressed down on the silver handle and walked out and away from the apartment, away from Kyra, away from the mortal that had enraptured his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the irregular updates recently! internship has gotten life wildin like a cat high on catnip


	29. Of Faith & Friendship

**THE** door slammed shut.

His final words echoed in her ears, spiraling round and round in a whispering vortex. It swirled with the images in her head, of Herrick's mouth moving as he told her Loki was due to return to Asgard, and the images from the curious metal ball that had showed her Loki's other side. 

_I stopped using you you know. Sometime after the forehead kiss._

_**Because it's Loki. He's a man that looks down on mortals. And even if he might have changed, some things don't go away that easily - they certainly don't just disappear in the span of ten days.** _

_And I was planning on staying here. On Midgard. I was going to tell Odin after completing my exile._

**_Magic is what completes him, and makes him whole._ ** **_So to be forever separated from magic will be impossible to him! Yet that is what he needs to do if he wishes to remain at Midgard. There is no place for magic here among mortals, and he knows it. So if he's confronted with the decision to choose between Midgard and Asgard, what do you think he will do?_ **

_And I would never have hurt you. Not because I was violating the terms. But because ..._

_**I hoped you used those three wishes wisely Lady Kyra. Because when Loki leaves, that is all you will have left. So whatever dreams you want to fulfill, whatever materialistic desires you wish to acquire - do it now.** _

_I was your boyfriend after all. But I guess you never felt the same way._

_**Because after this, all you will have left will be useless memories.** _

Two different voices, each as persuading as the other. She wanted to believe him, so _so_ much, her heart ached for him and she wanted to go - no, _run_ \- to him, but she didn't know who to believe. Who to trust.

 _So you never trusted me?_ She could hear the crack in his voice, see the pain in his eyes.

And the immense betrayal, that hollow loneliness as he realized that she viewed him as a monster.

But yet again he was the God of Mischief. The master actor, the maestro in lying. He could be putting on an act, and he could now already be laughing his way back to Asgard.

Had he really meant to stay? She wanted to believe that.

But could she?

Who was lying? Who to trust? She had never felt so torn in her life.

The phone rang just then, breaking her out of her inner turmoil. She didn't want to pick it up, but the shrill tone echoed around the empty apartment. In the end, more to shut off the noise than anything else, she took the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kyra! It's me, Cecilia! How's your cold coming along?"

"My cold?"

"Yeah, Lance told me you had a cold, so you took the rest of the day off."

 _He lied._ She knew it was for her, and it was a small thing, but then again there it was - _he lies._

"Um, yeah. It's getting better. You didn't have to call just for that."

"Oh well, I call for another reason too." Cecilia's voice grew excited. "Has Lance told you yet?"

"Told me what?"

" _Jennifer's going to get totally destroyed!_ " It was a loud squeal from the other end, and in the background Kyra could hear cheers.

She blinked, not understanding. "What? How?"

And Cecilia told her everything, from the recording Loki took, to him working hard with them since afternoon, coming up with an article that " _fired all shots_ ", as Cecilia put it.

"And guess what? We sent it to our printer and got them to work immediately. _And_ we also contacted a few major newspapers, and they're paying us to publish their article! Isn't that amazing? Of course we're smart though, we only gave them just enough, so they have to come back to us if they want more details. Oh, and we posted the recording on our website, and it's starting to get _huge views!_ It's five thousand now - oh wait, what?" Cecilia pulled away from the phone. "Woohoo, Eric just checked and it's now at nine thousand views! Isn't that something? And it's all thanks to Lance - and you of course."

Kyra was stunned. But Cecilia's next words amped up her emotions even further.

"You know, Lance kept telling us that we had to make this article a _huge_ blockbuster, because he said you really wanted to help Judy. And he wanted to help you help her. He kept saying this big scoop was what you had been after your whole journalist career - don't worry, we credited you and Lance big-time in both the article and the recording. He told us we had to give it everything we got ... he was doing everything just to help you, and man, that was just so _sweet -_ I mean, all Harry's ever done for me is keep watch while I was sick - I'm not saying that isn't sweet dear," Cecilia said distantly as Harry started to protest, "I'm just saying Lance's gesture is sweet _er..._ "

_He did it all for her?_

"Oh yeah, and I managed to extend an invitation to him to come for my wedding. Day after tomorrow! Can't wait! He said he was definitely going to come with you."

Had he really been planning to stay? Did she do something wrong?

Had he really, really been for real?

All this conflict was too much for her to bear and she broke down right there and then. Her sobs could be heard over the phone, and Cecilia was instantly concerned.

"Kyra! Hey, are you alright?"

She couldn't hold it in and the words gushed out like a waterfall, fast and thick, until she almost couldn't understand what she was saying.

"I don't know, Lo - Lance just left and I'm all alone, we had an argument and I don't know if I should trust him... Herrick told me about his history, and he has a really bad past... he told me I shouldn't trust Lance, so when he came back we fought and I think I hurt him and I don't know, he just left - "

"Whoa! Okay, calm down. First, just calm down. Alright? Breathe." Cecilia waited until Kyra had some of her emotions under control. "Stop me if I'm wrong. There's this person named - Derrick, no, _Herrick_ \- who told you things about Lance, and that you shouldn't trust him? Is that correct?"

Kyra nodded. "Yes," she managed to choke out.

"And you believe him? This - random person out of the blue?"

"I - I've known him for some time. And the things he said, they were true."

"But that was in Lance's _past_ , right? Is he still the same _now_?"

"I don't know! That's the whole point! I _don't know_ who to believe!"

Cecilia paused. "Well then it's easy. Just ask yourself one question."

Kyra sniffled. "What?"

"Do you trust Lance?"

"That's the whole problem! I - "

Cecilia cut her off sharply.

" _Kyra._ It's a very simple question. Just answer it. Yes or no. _Do you trust Lance?_ "

Silence. Cecilia persisted.

"Take away Herrick. Take away everything you've heard, take away your argument, take away the fight. It's just you, and him.

"And ask yourself. Do you trust Lance?

"Do you trust your boyfriend?"

She knew the answer to that. She'd always knew the answer to that. Unclouded by Herrick's words, left alone in its entirety, that was the shining kernel of truth.

Kyra swallowed, and she whispered,

"Yes."

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys think lying is always unacceptable?


	30. Of Running And Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> L A N G U A G E

**SHE** dashed out of her apartment and tripped right over a Lego block lying in the middle of the hallway. Normally she would have seen it, but then again normally she would have been wearing her glasses. She swore, loud, and a mother from a nearby room shouted, " _Language!_ "

She was wearing open-toed sandals and had stubbed her toe. Hopping painfully she managed to reach the elevator and took it down to the ground floor.

 _He can't have gone very far - I should still have time left to catch him!_ She saw the reception counter a few feet away and started hollering.

"Mrs Kendrick! Mrs Kendrick, I need you help - _whoa_ , you are not Mrs Kendrick."

She had reached the counter and the person sitting there wasn't the friendly married woman that sat there every day. Instead, it was a much younger person of the opposite sex, who had damp straw blonde hair, flat and sticking to his scalp. He was a pasty looking twenty-something, who had one of those very trying smiles that just made you want to punch him in the teeth.

"No, I am _not_ Mrs Kendrick, nor am I _Mr_ Kendrick. Lucky for you, I'm single." He arched his eyebrow in a suggestive manner.

"Okaaaayy. Um. Where is Mrs Kendrick?"

"She's gone off to visit her mother, who broke her leg painting the upstairs window. Really, I don't know why they couldn't have hired a _professional painter_. Why do something when someone else can do it for you? And their economy isn't that bad - I mean, sure, they could use a few hundred more dollars, but really, if you can't handle the job yourself then why not call in somebody else - "

"Okay!" Kyra raised both hands up, interrupting him. "You answered my question already. So next one. Who are _you_?"

"Oh, silly me." The man let out a - _did he just giggle_? "The name is Andrew. Andrew Johnson. I'm Mrs Kendrick's nephew. Don't let this fool you, I'm actually a very successful architect. I mean, I'm not currently employed of course, that's why I have the time to help out my dear darling aunt, but I'm sure I'll have a few companies calling me back soon. I sent out my resumes three weeks ago but they haven't reply, really, maybe I should have gone to private companies, the government organizations are just _so slow_ , they should really hire much more efficient people like _me,_ though or course I'm not going to be some old clerk at the desk - "

_By God, couldn't he tell by the way she was anxiously tapping her foot that she was in a rush? And how could someone talk so much?_

"Yeah okay, so I just want to ask another question - did you happen to see a man pass by here just now? Tall, handsome, green eyes? Holding a staff and ... green glasses?" She waited, her nerves tensed, for his answer.

Andrew frowned. "Handsome? I don't know if you'd call him _handsome_ , really, he was just rather average - "

"Andrew! Answer the damn question!" she practically yelled.

Andrew looked startled and prudishly offended. "Well alright, you don't have to raise your voice at me. I have _very_ delicate eardrums. But anyway, yes, there was such a man passing by here. He looked quite angry to me, and when he spoke to me he was _so_ curt and snobbish, I had half the mind not to help him - "

"What did he tell you? What did he say?" Kyra was on tenterhooks.

"Well, he told me to call for him a cab. So I did."

"Did he tell you where he was going? Did you hear him telling the cab driver an address or - or a name?"

_There's still hope! I still have a chance!_

"Well yes, actually I did. He said - "

And Andrew stopped. 

_Are you freaking kidding me?!_

He narrowed his eyes at her, and his expression morphed into one of suspicion. 

"But what does it matter to _you?_ How do I know you are not going to use this piece of information for criminal intent?" Andrew folded his arms and tilted his chin upwards in a show of superiority. "I'll have you know that we do not disclose our client data to the public."

" _Client data?_ " Kyra exploded. "Excuse me! _I'm the client here_! I live here in this apartment! Loki isn't your client, he just stayed in my house for ten days!"

Andrew shook his head. "And how do I know you aren't lying?"

 _"Well why don't you try looking into your damn system then?_ I'm sure my name is in there as a tenant!"

Several precious seconds ticked by as Andrew tapped on the computer keys. 

"Hmm. Hold on a second. I'm rather new to all this, first day on the job you know." He threw her a wide smile - _no no no, look back to the damn computer!_

A minute passed. "Hmm. I do think I'm starting to figure this system out, if you'll just wait a _little longer....._ "

Oh for Christ sake.

A memory triggered in her head, of Loki slipping them in to see the Asgard ships. 

_The key lies in being confident._

She whipped out her hand phone, and with wild exaggerated movements started to fake a phone call.

"Hello? Mr Nathan Wilde? Hi!" Andrew's head perked up at once at the name. _Everyone knows the story._ "Yes it's me, Kyra here. That's right, the _journalist_." She placed heavy emphasis on the word. 

"Listen, I have this _huge_ article for you, that would totally prove your innocence, and that Jennifer was a scheming wench after all ... yes _of course_ I want to bring it to you right away, but you see the thing is, a _thief_ broke into my apartment and stole my work bag, and the article was in it! I know I know, I'm trying to go after him, but you see my _apartment receptionist_ refuses to tell me where he went ... apparently he thinks the thief is a tenant here and he can't disclose client data to the public. I _know_ , outrageous right?"

Andrew was barely typing now, his mouth opened in an "o". 

"Oh, I'll have no choice but to wait, he needs to access the system and do something ... I don't know, the thief could be miles away by now ... what? _You'll sue him as an accomplice in crime_? Oh my goodness Mr Nathan, really, that's a bit too much, he's just a small little receptionist trying to do his job properly ... yes yes, I'll get back to you as soon as possible, alright, bye!"

She switched off her phone.

"You - You're lying," Andrew stammered.

She raised an eyebrow. "Am I?" She fished inside the pocket of her jeans and pulled out her journalist name tag. 

Andrew's eyes ran wild all over the place. "That wasn't the man you wanted! He - he only had that weird-looking staff, he wasn't carrying any work bag!"

She leaned in close over the table top, and now it was her turn to narrow her eyes. "Are you sure? Because I'm _pretty confident_ that was the thief, and that he took my work bag. How do I know you aren't helping him? Maybe you really are an accomplice in crime!"

"He's going to the San Diego Convention Center!" Andrew blurted out.

 _Of course_. That was where she had first met him, at the back on the stadium, in that mini park. On the day of the Comic-Con. That was where he had landed on Midgard for the first time.

She smiled and patted Andrew gently on the arm. "Thank you _very much,_ Andrew."

She ran off, and behind she could hear him call, "Wait! Am I still getting sued?"

She didn't even look back. "I don't know, why don't you call up Mr Nathan Wide yourself!"

She reached the kerb and saw a taxi pulling up nearby. Getting in she leaned forward and said, "I'll pay you fifty bucks if you get me to the Convention Center in ten minutes."

The man nodded and the car went straight into gear.

_***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _ _***** _

Herrick had told him beforehand to meet him at the place where he first landed. Now he stood there, alone, his heart aching with grief. 

He looked down at the glasses in his hand. His first thought had been to throw them away, but when he reached the nearest dustbin he found himself unable to do it. So he had clutched onto them instead.

_Clinging on to a girl that never liked you back._

_How the mighty have fallen._

There were footsteps behind him and he knew they belonged to Herrick. He took a deep breath before turning around. 

It was time for him to leave.


	31. Of Confessions & Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everyone dies some time

" **ALRIGHT** Herrick. I'm here. Let us leave."

Herrick's words were deliberately biting. "My my, someone's in a hurry. Are you sure you don't want to spend more time with the mortal? Ah wait. You're planning to return here ... aren't you?"

Loki's jaw clenched. He knew what the Einherjar was doing, and the worse part was that it was working. Still he managed to clamp down his retort and kept his fists hanging by his side, so he wouldn't do anything he'd regret.

"Cut it out. Let us be gone on our way," he almost snarled.

"As you wish." He bowed, and then suddenly snapped his fingers.

"I should probably tell you something though. I lied."

Loki frowned.

"The King and Queen _has_ announced that your exile is to be shortened, but you are to return only after you have grant the mortal her three wishes. Meaning, you may return as soon as all the wishes are given, and not have to wait for one month.

"So you can't go back to Asgard just yet."

Something akin to alarm niggled at Loki. "Then why did you call me here?"

Herrick bowed yet again, deep and low. This time he didn't straighten up, but instead flicked his eyes up to Loki's face and kept them there.

He smiled then, a very cold and very unfriendly smile.

"To treat you to a Midgard performance," he said.

At his words, a troop of mortals came out from the shadows nearby and surrounded Loki. They were dressed in circus garb, and all were smiling pleasantly.

Without warning one of them did something and next thing Loki knew he was breathing a jet of fire into the air. Then the one next to him did the same, then the next one and the next one and the next one.

"Amazing, aren't they?" Herrick called from outside the ring. "They're called fire performers. They breathe fire, eat fire - here let him show you!"

The man to Herrick's immediate right demonstrated exactly that.

Loki had never seen anything like this before and was more than a little startled. He managed to find his voice and asked,

"What are you doing Herrick?"

And Herrick only smiled.

Flames to his right and left were spewing and gushing up into the air. The heat surrounded him, and there came this familiar hammering in his skull ... and then the ringing in his ears, and then the nausea ... dimly he heard, _don't take away my baby! My son!_

_Laufey's son!_

"No," he gasped, as he realized what was happening. His right leg buckled and his hand went up to his head, pressing hard against his temple. "No! Herrick, stop!"

His vision was becoming fuzzy but he could hear just fine and Herrick's maniacal laughter swept all around and over him.

"I'm sorry, what? I can't hear you over the sound of my glee!"

Loki gasped. He could hear her now.

Kolga. _The thief._

" _He is small for a giant's offspring. The people will not see him worthy for the throne._ _His cries too, will become a liability in our escape._ "

He grunted in pain. "Herrick, stop! These mortals - you'll hurt them as well!"

Here Herrick's voice dipped low, into a wicked hiss.

"Ah but you see, that's where you're wrong."

His next words were just dipping in delight.

"I'm not hurting them, _you_ are."

There was no more strength in Loki's legs and he knelt on the ground. His eyes were squeezed shut to try to cut out the images, but it was too late; the dancing red shadows dug beneath his eyelids, sinking their claws into him, dragging him back down into his past, his memories......

He roared in pain.

Herrick crept just close enough to crouch down and whisper.

"Don't fight it Loki. _Remember._ Remember the war. Remember all the people who did you wrong. Your father, who abandoned you; your mother, who was still slayed in the end. _Remember._ "

Loki reached out blindly to swipe at him, but Herrick evaded it easily. He leaned in even closer.

"You're now under my control. Feel the pain. Feel the hurt. Feel the fear. And think of only one thing - _revenge._ That's right, Loki. All these people around you, they're demons in disguise. They're no mortals! You have to avenge your mother - you will make them pay in blood for their sins against you!"

He loved this. He loved watching him squirm and howl in pain.

 _This is where criminals like you belong_. _Filthy little murderer._

"When you open your eyes, you will _kill._ You will hurt and murder everyone you see. Because you're on a path of revenge. No one can stop you! You're the God of Evil! You were born to destroy!" Herrick's voice grew harsher and more unforgiving. "This is who you are! Let your memories control you! Let them bring out your _real, true self - you're a monster Loki!_ "

Movement in the distance caught his eye. Herrick looked up.

And his lips twisted into an even more cruel smile.

_Well hello, my letter O. I've been waiting for you._

He gave a flick of his hands and the fire performers stopped. They retreated back into the shadows, their job done, thinking they had just put on a brilliant performance for their client, not knowing the consequences their actions had caused. Loki however, remained still kneeling on the ground, his eyes shut, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Herrick's mouth stopped just short of Loki's ears.

"Open your eyes Loki. Here comes the person you have been waiting for."

The striking green eyes opened.

**_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ **

She could see him in the distance and her heart leapt. She had made it! He hadn't left yet! Then she saw that he was almost on all fours on the ground, and her heart did a little lurch in her chest.

_What was wrong with him? Was he alright?_

She barely registered Herrick standing there, and she ran forward, calling his name.

"Loki!"

He turned.

She was only a few feet away and already her mouth was ajar to apologize and explain. Then she saw those beautiful eyes, saw how the twinkle in them was missing, and saw how dead they looked.

_Something was wrong._

"...Loki?"

She knew that look. She had seen it before and it terrified her. But what could have triggered it? There were no cooks doing the flambe around here ... her eyes laid on Herrick, and she saw the grin he wore.

"What did you do to him?" she demanded.

"Oh, my dear Lady Kyra. The question is, _what will he do to you?_ "

She turned her gaze back to Loki and couldn't help the gasp that escaped from her lips. She hadn't even seen him move, but now he was standing right in front of her.

She looked up, fearful not for herself, but for him.

"Loki, listen to me - "

He cut her off by wrapping his fingers around her throat and lifting her up.

Just like last time.

She choked, her legs kicking, and just like last time her hands went up to grasp at his. And all this time Herrick was just watching, laughing away like the madman she now knew he was.

_How could I ever have trusted Herrick over Loki?_

"Loki - stop! Listen to me - you can - fight - this - "

Herrick's laugh became even wilder.

"Save your breath Lady Kyra, he can't hear you at all. He's stuck in his past now, and I doubt if he even knows who you are."

Black spots were doing the Swan Lake in front of her eyes but she still managed to choke out,

"Why are you doing this?"

"To destroy him of course! Last time was already bad enough - imagine if he realizes he _killed_ you." Herrick let out a demented whoop. "It will utterly break him!"

He walked close and Kyra was vaguely aware of him passing something to Loki's free hand.

"You're toying with her, Loki. _Finish it._ "

And she saw Loki drew his hand up, and she saw the glinting dagger clutched with purpose in his hand.

He was just lost. He didn't know what he was doing.

"Please Loki - fight this! You did it last time, you can do it again - its me, Loki! Kyra! I came back - to find you - to tell you - "

She couldn't breathe. She really _really_ couldn't breathe now.

Her final exhale of air was a floating whisper.

" _I love you._ "

Herrick's laughter drilled sickeningly into her ears.

"What a confession! Too bad he can't hear you, or even know who you are for that matter."

Blackness encroached the edges - her eyes began to close - her struggles slowed, weaker and weaker - no more air in her lungs -

And with a large, audible and almost painful gasp, she could breathe again.

The dagger fell silently to the grass and she was pulled into Loki's crushing embrace. She still couldn't see very well and she was too focused on breathing in oxygen to do anything else, but his velvet voice, though ragged and hoarse, was still so familiar and comforting in her ears, and it was the one thing she heard with the utmost clarity -

" _I love you too._ "

And the relief was overpowering and overwhelming, she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms tightly around him, the man that had returned to her - but there was no time for that, because at the edge of her vision Herrick was -

One swipe.

One lunge.

" _Loki_!"

Time froze.

No movements.

No thoughts.

Just her.

And the sharp, bloody end of the Scepter, sticking out of -

Her stomach.

" _Kyra!_ "

😜😜😜😜😜 **_Seriously though, I love you guys :)_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY I DISAPPEARED LAST WEEK SJDDKJBNSKDFBN
> 
> but yo
> 
> me bacc


	32. Of Judge & Jury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warning
> 
> pain ahead

**HE** was back in the war.

The screams, the clash of steel on steel. This was his reality. 

He knew what was going to happen next. But he also knew, that this time, he could change it.

He marched forward, his eyes burning with steel and determination. He had no weapon on him, but he didn't need it. Kolga was there, right there. Right in front of him, looking him in the eyes, as if she was challenging him.

_Well, challenge accepted._

He reached her in easy strides and caught her in a choke around her neck, lifting her up easily, as if she weighed no more than a feather.

Something was niggling him at the back of his mind. _Kolga is a Frost Giant, how can you lift her up just so easily? She's about your height, with a warrior's build no less!_

But Loki swatted away that thought like it was a mere fly, and focused all his strength on strangling the last breath out of this _thief_. She was speaking of course, pleading, but he didn't hear it - it didn't matter anyway, it was just the cowardly lies of a dying woman - 

_"I love you."_

It wasn't just the shock at the sentence - _why would Kolga be saying such things -_ but also the realization that it was the voice.

 _That_ voice.

_Her voice._

He snapped right out of it at once. Her voice was an anchor, the thing he so furiously sought, and as he chased after it it brought him right out of the darkness and back into life, and his eyes cleared to see - _her_. He realized just what he was doing and released her instantly, pulling her into a crushing hug as he realized that she was _here_ , and that he had almost killed her, but then he had stopped just in time. And in all the emotions he felt - relief, shock, guilt - there was one that stood out the most.

" _I love you too,_ " he breathed.

There was a sob of relief that escaped from his lips and he squeezed his eyes shut, wrapping his arms around her even tighter.

But their embrace barely lasted five seconds as she suddenly, viciously, pushed him off and away to the side. 

He stumbled and heard her cry his name.

He looked up, and saw Herrick rammed the Sceptre into her back - _and out through the front._

The blue jewel pulsed on, unconscious and unfeeling of the blood that now drenched it all over. 

Her blood.

Herrick had paled, his face white as his eyes darted up to Loki's green ones. 

"I - I didn't mean it - I was going for you - " He stopped, realizing that that was probably not the best defense he could come up with.

Loki roared, and leaping forward he dealt a fast and furious upper cut to Herrick's jaw. Herrick fell over backwards, and Loki backhanded him against the temple for better measure.

He dashed back to Kyra, who had fallen to her knees, her chest heaving in an abnormal way. Loki cradled her as carefully as he could, making sure not to accidentally jerk the Sceptre - _his Sceptre -_ that protruded from her back.

Her hands reached up, trembling, and Loki took hold of it, intertwining their fingers in a strong grip.

"Stay with me," he whispered, his voice shaking, his heart hammering wildly in his chest. "Stay with me Kyra, _stay with me!_ "

Lifting his head up to the sky he screamed. 

" _Father!_ "

He looked back down on her, the blood already starting to choke her in her throat. She coughed, and flecks of the red sticky fluid stained his shirt. 

"No no no no no no ... you can't leave me Kyra, _stay with me!_ "

"Loki -" She gasped, and he could hear the spasms of pain lacing that one single sound.

"Sssshhhh. I'm here, just keep your eyes open ..." He brushed back a beading tear from her eyes, not realizing that his face was already streaked with tears of his own.

Overhead the thunder swirled and stirred. There was a thump as someone hit the ground behind him, and then a booming voice, familiar and now shaded in sorrow, 

"Herrick. _What have you done?_ "

"My liege. I - I - " He could say nothing. He had gone too far, and he knew it. 

Odin waved a hand and two armored Einherjar stepped out from behind. One of them was Esbern, and his face was clouded with guilt. 

"Take your Captain away," the King of Asgard ordered. As both Einherjar stepped forward, Odin placed a hand flat on Esbern's chest. He didn't look his way, but his voice was stern and icy as he said, "And I would like to have a word with you after this, Esbern."

Esbern bowed his head low, in shame and admittance. "Yes my liege."

The two guards pulled Herrick to his feet and snapped manacles on both his arms and legs. There was a swirl of leaves, a howling wind, and then Heimdall had pulled them back to Asgard.

Loki's hands were shaking as they pressed firmly against her wound, around the shaft of the Sceptre. 

There was so much blood.

Her blood.

Her eyelids fluttered, and half-closed.

"No, no! Stay with me Kyra! Open your damn eyes!"

There was a heavy hand on his shoulder that squeezed gently. "Loki ..." came Odin's voice. 

He shook his head, a gesture filled with stubborn denial. "Don't, Father. Please don't."

"My son, I am sorry ..."

"NO! You do not give up on her, _I am not giving up on her!_ "

"Loki, you must face the truth." The King's voice was abounding in grief as he looked down at the broken body and his broken son.

"Don't say it Father." He was sobbing openly now, rocking Kyra lightly in his arms, seeing the way her eyelids were slowly but surely closing. " _Please don't say it_."

But Odin said it. 

"It is too late."

Kyra's eyes closed fully and her chest stopped moving. No longer was there any air entering nor leaving her lips.

Loki screamed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry my update schedule has been so wonky :(((( work's hitting hard
> 
> that and covid quarantine has led me to realize what a social butterfly I am wow


	33. Of Hope And Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FEELS INCOMING

_**author's note > I was listening to Paperman while writing this :') ** _

**LOKI** screamed, and the sound reverberated round and round the park, scaring hidden birds out of their trees, sending animals scurrying away in fright. It was a lonely and frightening sound, echoing with agony the likes of which no one had ever known, and that which no one should ever experience.

He sat there for minutes, just cradling the lifeless body in his arms, pouring out his pain and grief, the ache in his chest intensifying to the point where no words could describe it.

And all through this, the blue jewel kept pulsing and pulsing.

The scream died out.

One shaking whisper. A whisper of hope.

" _Her wishes_. She has two left." Loki looked up at Odin, his green eyes still striking beneath the film of tears. There was ragged hope on his voice as he spoke. "The Sceptre can still grant her two wishes!"

"That is true, but those wishes are hers to make. It is not your decision."

"Do you think she wanted to die?" Loki yelled. "If she had breath left to speak she would wish she could live! You know that Father!"

Odin stood there. "Bringing the dead back to life ... that goes beyond the natural law."

"The Sceptre itself goes beyond natural law! I mean - just look at it! A staff that grants _any three of your wishes?_ A staff imbued with _magic?_ "

"It would need more magic than what the Sceptre has." Odin paused. "Are you willing to sacrifice your greatest gift?"

It took a heartbeat for Loki to understand what his father meant. He looked back down at Kyra, at her pale lips, and felt the way the heat from her body was already dissipating into the cold night.

When he answered he answered with no hesitation.

"Take it. Take it all. Just save her."

"Very well."

Odin started muttering, the foreign words crackling and rolling across his tongue. With shaking but determined fingers Loki gripped the Sceptre and pulled it out of her back. He laid the staff - _the weapon of murder_ \- across Kyra's lap and placed her two hands around the blue jewel, which was now pulsating with sudden ferocity.

He leaned forward, touching his forehead to hers. His eyes closed and he whispered,

"Please live, Kyra. Come back to me."

Something within him stirred. Warmth spread all over his being and he felt the tingles all over, all the way from his toes to the tip of his fingertips. He felt the comforting sparks arcing through his veins and smiled, a weak and wan curve of the lips.

His magic had returned.

_Hello, old friend._

They made a complete circuit of his body, and as swiftly as they come did they disappear. He felt them leaving him, seeping out of his skin and into the cold body beneath. He felt it too, the sense of loss, as he realized that he would never shape-shift again, nor turn invisible to the naked eye; he would no longer be able to cast those illusions he love so much, nor would he be able to teleport across vast distances in the blink of an eye.

He had lost that which made him different, the pedestal on which he stood with firm confidence, the one thing that made him stand out from everyone else.

In all essence and purposes, he had become - a mortal.

Was it worth it?

Was _she_?

And he knew the answer. Of course he did.

_Absolutely._

The magic left him completely, slipping right through his fingers and forever out of sight. The jewel's glow dimmed and faded into obscurity.

Still he kept his eyes closed.

He was afraid of what he would see, if it had not work -

A gasp.

A cough.

A groan.

"Let me guess. I've been _lanced_ , haven't I?"

Her voice. _Her amazing, sweet voice._

"Well technically it was a sceptre," he replied.

He opened his eyes then, and saw the brown ones staring back into his own green orbs. Alive. _She was alive._

Alive and smiling.

A half-gasp, half-laugh escaped his lips and a weak chuckle escaped from hers. He pulled her up and hugged her in as tight an embrace as he could give, all the while laughing and crying from the relief. He felt her tender arms hugged him back.

Alive and smiling.

They held each other for several long moments, not willing to let go. Then faintly he could hear her murmur,

"You know, usually at times like this the hero kisses the heroine. Like, a _deep_ and _passionate_ kiss."

Kyra could hear the smile in his voice.

"Is this another Midgard thing?"

"Well yes, I suppose you could put it that way."

He pulled away and looked right into her eyes.

_Alive and smiling._

"Finally, a Midgard thing that makes sense."

He placed a hand at the back of her head and pulled her close. The instant their lips touched it felt like home. And at that second he knew, Asgard was no longer the only home he had.

She deepened the kiss then, her arms reaching up to cup his face. He loved her touch, loved running the soft strands of her brown hair through his fingers.

She was his all and everything. She was the magic that completed him.

There was a gruff, awkward cough from behind and they broke away. Kyra looked up and over Loki's shoulder, seeing Odin for the first time. Her mouth fell open.

_I just made out with Loki in front of my father-in-law._

"Loki! Why didn't you tell me Odin was standing there?" she hissed.

She made to get up, but though her wound was gone there was still a dull ache in her side, and she bent over double, wincing.

"Whoa, take it slow, you just came back from the dead."

But Kyra insisted, and so Loki helped her up carefully. She did a sort of half curtsey and managed to stammer out, "King Odin."

Odin nodded in acknowledgement. "It is good to see you alive and well, Kyra. Rest assured that Herrick will receive the punishment he deserves. I hope you recuperate to full health soon."

The King brushed an imaginary speck of dust off his shoulder. "And now I will take my leave. The Queen is anxious for news. Loki, I assume you are staying here?"

Kyra chose this moment to look away. Even after hearing him say those three little words, there were still the lingering traces of fear in her. She was afraid of meeting his gaze, afraid that he didn't love her enough to stay, afraid that he wouldn't say -

"Yes. I am staying."

\- that.

He looked down at her then, and the fingers gripping hers tightened. With just that tiny action he could make her feel extremely safe and secure.

"I'm not leaving you again," he promised.

She smiled, the hope and happiness soaring high in her chest.

With a nod at the two of them Odin left the way he came, and then it was just her.

Just her and him.

From somewhere in Loki's trouser pocket he pulled out a very familiar pair of glasses.

"I think this is yours."

Her mouth parted, touched and surprised. "You kept them? I thought the first thing you would do would be to throw them!"

He shrugged. "Well I did bought them with my own hard-earned money, and throwing them away just seemed like such a _waste._ I was thinking of bringing them to Asgard, maybe sell them to The Collector or something, get some money..."

She could hear the mischief, back in his voice, and see the twinkle lighting up his eyes.

He helped her put on the glasses, and she stood there for a silent moment, just taking in the fact that he was standing there, staying on Midgard, for her.

"So are you still going then? With me?" she asked.

"Where?"

"Cecilia's wedding? The day after tomorrow? We _are_ going together aren't we?"

He smiled. "Yes. Yes we are. But I have one condition though."

He leaned forward and Kyra felt the tingles all over as his breath brushed her ear.

"You have to catch the bouquet."

Her smile grew wider. "I think I can do that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only one more chapter to wrap up this little story! I can't believe how far I've come, and with you guys along for the ride too! thank you so much for all the love <3 and I'll see you next week for the epilogue to Loki's and Kyra's whirlwind ride


	34. Of Epilogue And Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here we go.
> 
> The last chapter.

**"YOU** ready?"

"Ready!"

They sat tense, staring intently at the object in front of them. They were in Kyra's apartment, and the object was a radio, sitting squat on the glass table. It was tuned to LaLuna FM, and was currently blaring out some punk rock genre of a song.

**_Hey, I'm doing fine  
And I know I'm out of line  
_ _So let's sing this one more time  
_ _It goes  
_ _  
_ **

**_Destination: permanent vacation_ **

Then came a whole chorus of _na-na-nas_ , and Kyra was biting her lip in anxiety. In her right hand her phone was clutched by her fingers in a death grip. Loki saw the tension in her posture and couldn't help letting out a chuckle. 

"You know you don't have to try so hard right? You're definitely going to win this."

"Well I don't trust your magic staff very much after what happened to Judy." Kyra shot a dirty look towards the Sceptre, which was leaning against the wall, looking as innocent as a sceptre could be. The blue jewel pulsed away at a steady beat, as if saying _hey, it wasn't my fault._ "Plus, that thing killed me!"

"Yeah well, that _thing_ also brought you back to life."

"No it didn't, you did."

"Well, it helped."

Kyra shushed him, because at that moment a youthful voice sang - 

_**Destination: permanent vacation** _

\- and the music ended with a bang. There came a second of silence, and then - 

" _Call us now, to win two tickets to the luxury Carribean cruise -_ "

"Oh oh oh we gotta call we gotta call!" Kyra fumbled with her phone and it slipped out of her fingers and to the floor. She swore, loud, and the mother from room 234 who happened to be passing by outside yelled, " _Language!_ "

Loki was laughing so hard he almost fell off the couch. "I don't understand why you're being so panicky when you already wished for it! You're going to win!"

"Well I'm not going to take any chances - " Kyra grabbed hold of her phone and made to get back up, only to bang her head hard against the underside of the glass table. She let loose another expletive. 

" _Language!_ " Loki yelled this time, laughing so hard he really did fell off the couch.

**_***************_ **

Sherria made her way through the building, her Prada clutch swinging freely in her hand. Today she had put on a navy blue blouse that showed _just_ the right amount of skin, as well as a skirt that showed _just_ the right amount of legs. Her three-inch-high, pointy-toed heels clattered noisily against the stairwell as she made her way down. Normally she would have taken the elevator, but today it was out of service.

She had a portable Walkman in one hand and her handphone in the other. The Walkman was tuned in to a local radio station, and she bobbed her head lightly to the cheerful melody blasting out of her earphones.

" _Call us now, to win two tickets to the luxury Carribean cruise -_ " 

Her eyes widened. _Bless my Gucci!_ This was the contest she had been eyeing this whole week! She unlocked her phone, went straight into speed dial and pressed 1. Whipping one of her earphones out of her ear she called the number and waited, anxious. 

" _Hi! This is LaLuna FM_ _! Who's on the line?_ "

Sherria gave a little scream of delight. The call connected!

"Oh my gosh! Am I the first caller?"

_"Yes indeed! Congratulations!"_

She shrieked then, and gave a jump of euphoria. As she landed back down, her rhinestone studded, glamorous purple heels hit the concrete steps at the wrong angle - and the stem broke.

" _Aiyeeee!_ " 

She lost her balance and plunged forward, rolling down the final four steps and coming to a crashing halt against the wall. Her phone had flown right out of her grasp and hit the wall just seconds before her, where three things promptly happened - 

The screen cracked, the back cover fell off, and the battery slipped out of its hold.

Her honey gold hair tossed all over her face like some kind of a mop gone renegade, Sherria crawled on all fours as she searched desperately for her phone. She found her Walkman first, which was miraculously still intact. Then she saw her phone and let out a horrified screech.

It was completely dead to the world, and Sherria wailed in dismay. Panicky, she reached for the Walkman and slipped the earphones back to her ear.

" _\- Carribean luxury cruise goes to our lucky winner of today, Kyra Pierce!_ "

Sherria heard the words and her jaw nearly struck the floor.

_Kyra?_

_PIERCE?_

The radio announcer was still speaking. " _And who will be your companion on this wonderful 5-days-4-nights journey?_ "

Kyra's voice came clear as day. " _Oh, I'll be taking my boyfriend along - say hi Lance!_ "

The radio announcer spoke a few more congratulatory phrases and wrapped things up. An advertisement played and that was it. Sherria had missed her golden opportunity.

" _I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys R Us kid..._ _they got a million toys at Toys R Us that I can play with..._ _I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys R Us kid -_ "

Sherria shut her Walkman off with vehemence, cutting off the advertisement midway. Sitting there alone with a messy hairdo, she kicked her legs as if throwing a tantrum.

" _Kyra won the contest?_ But that's so unfair - it should have been me, my call went through! Stupid heel!" She glared down at her shoes, and then let out a banshee's screech as she saw her fingers. 

" _I have two broken nails!_ " She looked ready to bawl her eyes out now. 

"And why would she need to win a luxury cruise anyway?" she continued protesting to no one. " _Doesn't Lance own several luxury ships_?"

She looked at her broken heel and let out a sob. "But I just bought you guys......."

**_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ ** **_*_ **

"We did it! We did it!" Kyra was jumping up and down in her living room in excitement. "Carribean holiday here we come!" 

With that last word she jumped straight into Loki's arms, who took her momentum and swung her around in a full circle.

She pulled away, but kept her arms around his neck and stared into his green eyes, a happy smile on her face. 

"By the way, I should probably show you something." Loki removed her hands from his neck and reached across to the table, where a bouquet of roses laid. It was from Cecilia's wedding yesterday, and Kyra had kept her promise - she had _really_ caught it. 

"Sit down and enjoy the show." His green eyes twinkled with mischief at that.

Kyra shot him a bemused look but did as she was told.

"Now let me see...ah. Here we are." The roses in the bouquet were each of a different color, and Loki had extracted a soft pink one. "And this." He pulled out a white one.

He placed the bouquet back on the table and kept only those two roses in his hand. He wrenched off the heads, and threw the stems on the table. With two fists full of pink and white petals he smiled at Kyra.

"Now watch."

He brought his hands close, opening his fists just a little so the two different colored petals could mix. Some fell to the ground, but most stayed in his palms. He mashed the petals together, pressing his palms tightly against each other. 

He walked close to Kyra and knelt, one knee touching the soft carpet.

Slowly he took his left hand away, revealing the object that now glittered in his right palm.

It was not rose petals.

Instead, it was a exquisite ring, its band a delicate soft pink, topped with a shining white diamond.

"Kyra, will you marry me?" he asked, his tone solemn.

She was stunned. No, she was _beyond_ stunned.

"But...how - "

Loki's grave composure broke with his grin. "Odin never took away my magic. He just wanted to see if I was willing to go that far for you. I felt it coming back to me the day before Cecilia's wedding. I thought it would be a nice surprise."

"But this is amazing, Loki! You have your magic back! Does this mean you can shape-shift again? And cast illusions? And do all sorts of fancy tricks? Can you - "

"Kyra." Loki looked pained. "Can you answer my question first? My nerves are going to snap already."

"Oh." She paused. "But it was never a question though."

Loki looked up at her, his face already lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"So it's a yes?"

She nodded, once, slow.

Then she nodded more, her smile growing wide, her voice an excited squeal.

"Yes yes yes yes yes!" She threw her arms around him, and both of them fell back onto the carpet. 

Loki laughed, looking up into those gorgeous brown eyes that met his own with warmth and love. "You're amazing, you know that?"

She smiled, and poked him in the chest. "You're not so bad yourself."

And Loki smiled back.

**_And this time it's for real folks ;)_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone who has been here from the beginning till the end. Thank you for the crazy comments, your brilliant responses, and all your replies that never fail to make me LOL. Thank you for putting up with my erratic updating schedule toward the end of this book.
> 
> Thank you for taking this journey along with Kyra and Loki.
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this story. I hope you guys had a lot of fun reading it too.
> 
> xx lost syntax peace out xx


End file.
